The DWmegawad Club plays: Operation: BIOWAR & Equinox

[General Roasterock]

3 hours ago, Andromeda said:

There's a metric called difficulty ratio that can be used to tell the ammo balance of a level. It works by dividing the total enemy hit points of a level by the sum of all the ammo pickups, considering a value of 10 for each bullet, 70 for each shell, 200 for each rocket and 20 for each cell. Typically it gives a result between 0 and 1, the lower the number the more supplies you have available. A difficulty ratio of 1 means that you have exactly the amount of ammo needed to kill all the monsters in the level without having to use melee weapons, infighting, telefrags, crushers and the like, provided you don't miss any shots of course. Granted it has a lot of pitfalls, namely it doesn't consider enemies meant to be killed by telefrags/crushers, the superior damage dealt by the SSG and the BFG, unreachable monsters/ammo pickups and DeHackEd/DECORATE/whatever modifications, but I find it's a reasonably useful metric all the same.

It's definitely difficult to calculate something like this given how much randomization exists, on top of those that may just be happy with how the Chainsaw comes into play for this WAD specifically, but this is a really good baseline and I'm glad someone put it to paper. Did you have a script to put the table together for Equinox?

[vdgg]

17 hours ago, Devalaous said:

Map 13:

The opening is a direct copy/paste of Map 1, retextured into an alien theme. This makes you go 'huh...', although there is a hint if you sit on the titlescreen long enough; the CREDITS lump is the TITLEPIC with the same alien textures.

Awesome find!

[Andromeda]

9 minutes ago, General Roasterock said:

Did you have a script to put the table together for Equinox?

No, I used this plugin for Doom Builder. There's also WadSpy which is more convenient to use but it has a few bugs, though I could probably fix them easily now that I think of it.

[Horus]

1 hour ago, RHhe82 said:

Maybe I should vote as well. It's just that most of my potential wanna-plays are old acquaintances of the club, or less than 32 maps long

Something being less than 32 maps doesn’t mean you can’t nominate it, it’s just a matter of finding a pairing mapset or two to go with it. If you don’t have any such ideas off the top of your head, the past Cacowards / notable Wads / cacoward mentionation / recent activity in Wads & Mods are good resources for ideas. As it happened when I nominated the pick that was played this month, Biowar and Equinox were both mapsets I was keen to replay and their map total matched quite conveniently!

 

EDIT: For older picks this is a useful resource too. Quite a number of these are still yet to be played 12 years later! 

 

[Blast_Brothers]

MAP13

Quote

 

Now this is a finale. Massive, visually stunning, tough as nails, thematically relevant, and all-around chock full of spectacle. A great note to go out on.

 

Equinox was definitely my favorite of the two WADs this month. It starts out decent and only gets better as the month goes on. I can feel the slight "rushed" status, and the ammo balancing toes the line of acceptability, but generally I think it holds up pretty well.

 

Best map: MAP10

Hardest map: MAP12

Most emblematic map: MAP07

Least essential map: MAP05

[General Roasterock]

Map 12

 

  I don’t have time to do any of my more formal presentation that I wanted to keep up for this wad so it’s simply worth stating that every idea in this map was malformed, maladapted, or otherwise cursed with some sort of sour soul. Beginning atop a tight rope traversing a gorge of infinitely tall Pinkies is already indicative of how B.P.R.D. wanted to go about in terms of compatibility respect. The three Arch-Viles guarding the top of the hill are devastating to the absentee resource balancing. The sprint through damaging mud against a handful of awkwardly sized foes feels like a weighted gamble. The crusher puzzle is entirely trial and error. The Icon of Sin spawner crams monsters on top of one another with nonsense banshee screaming in a section that can potentially be skipped altogether. Every attempted construction is poor, something that everyone here has already identified. It doesn’t help that the map is aggressively ugly, with the custom textures feeling crusty and unclean, and the structures lacking the detail intensity that makes sense for the alien environment. 

  It’s a shame because this is as close to a layered, non-linear adventure map as has been seen here. The jump into the Plasma Rifle vat felt very natural, and the development of the Vile altar, and even the damaging floor run, feel as if they have care for the structures around them. It just so happens that they exist in a map made for no one. 

 

Map 13

 

  To truly explain the disconnect that B.P.R.D. faced when putting pen to paper, one needs look no further than the conclusion of this WAD. I am immediately greeted with further ammo doldrums and rioting crowds of hefty monsters, only to be guided to a crater that casts its hand across the lands and says “yeah don’t even bother with the stats just go nuts”. I found myself making laps, either in the basin or around the rim, watching projectiles coast through the air, hearing the Cyberdemons get angry at random intervals, taking in the music written by that deceased child (a story that is frankly bizarre to even bring up for a level release, but that’s neither here nor there). It was unorganized, uncontained, unruly, unholy, and it felt like the frolic through another land mass would wind down into boredom.

  Then I picked up the keycard from the mutilated marine and the air around me went cold.

  To me, Equinox is not about the horror of deep space, but rather the possibility. This map opens on a perversion of the landmark admin center, illegible with any of our common languages. It presents the heart of an extraterrestrial foe in a shape not too dissimilar from a coliseum. Hell even the gameplay feels warped in transit, where several of the switch segments are so systematically unfun yet structurally functional. I don’t belong here. There are infinitely many ways a social structure can be put together and we only have ours as a species because we’ve grown accustomed to it. When presented another life, another layout, perhaps even another way that Pinkies and Arch-Viles can be used on a pain floor, our reaction is hesitation at the very least. Playing this map feels like interacting with that other side, and I feel that’s by design. Yes it’s entirely possible that the whole of this WAD is assuming the role of Chet Lockjaw and blasting your way through a dollar store space opera, but every time this map makes a spark, I imagine that it’s trying to prove something much larger, to reverberate off of the stars and find acceptance outside of what we are capable of. It’s hard to describe, harder to play, and possibly the hardest to accept.
  To put it lightly, this map wipes the floor with The Mucus Flow.

[Devalaous]

16 hours ago, RHhe82 said:

MAP13. Played on UV, continuous. DSDA v0.27.4. K: 316/598, S: 5/5, I: 64/64. Comp. time 36:36

 

A bitter pill to swallow for 'UV-MAX or bust' or crowd -- surely I can be mistaken, but somehow I doubt this one is reasonably maxable.

 

Definitely not reasonable or possible. The 24 cyberdemons alone, are *all* in places that are nearly impossible to get a good attack in, and each one is paired with another, there not enough ammo for them alone. The outer rims of the crater are also too heavily packed, two ledges of which are filled with mancubi, and third is the death run in the max damage nukage with far too many demons; at both ends you dont get to fire down into a crowd, and the only protection you get is that invuln that runs out too fast, so your also not killing all of them either.

 

In other news, the music for Map 13 was in my head all night last night, and continues to be in my head this morning.

 

I wonder how feasible it would be to have an Equinox rebalance project, to overhaul the bad balance, fix all the hanging decorations, and make Map 13 uv max friendly? (I'd do it by making crushers kill the crater monsters during the final ascent, and actually giving radsuits in the trench, personally. Plus add a BFG to that one secret that only goes to...an ammo box?)

 

EDIT: 24 cybs, not 26

Edited June 30 by Devalaous

[Celestin]

@Horus thank you for finding this thread, the Jimmy's list was mentioned a while back and I was curious what was on it. Removing the wads that has already been played, here's what remains:

• Cyberdreams (1998)
• Batman Doom (1999)
• Herian 2 (1999)
• 10 Sectors (2000)
• TVR! (2001)
• Congestion 1024 (2005)
• NewDoom Community Map Project (2006)
• Community Chest 3 (2007)
• NewDoom Community Map Project II (2009)
• Claustrophobia 1024 2 (2010)
• Khorus's Speedy Shit (2011)
• 1994 Tune-up Challenge (2011)

So there's still a number of older releases that hasn't been covered, though it seems Abscission is being chosen for July.

[vdgg]

TVR! was played in December 2015

[Celestin]

Oh. It seems I've confused Revolution! with TV1998.

[Horus]

2 hours ago, Celestin said:

So there's still a number of older releases that hasn't been covered

 

Indeed, and if you extend the scope to Acid's and Dobu's lists further down the page, the list not yet covered extends further still (there's some obscure stuff there though - can't say I've ever heard of ChrisWAD before for example). Out of Jimmy's list, the set I'm most surprised hasn't come up yet is Community Chest 3 - that's bound to get voted in at some point. The rest I'm not so sure, the NDCPs maybe. Cyberdreams is a pretty well-regarded 90s mapset but I'd say it's a very poor fit for the DWMC format.

Edited June 30 by Horus

[Pseudonaut]

50 minutes ago, Horus said:

 

Cyberdreams is a pretty well-regarded 90s mapset but I'd say it's a very poor fit for the DWMC format.

 

Maybe it could work if it's paired with another wad, and two or three maps are played per day. Something like that was done with Demonfear.

[Magnusblitz]

MAP13: (Finale)

51% kills, 3/5 secrets

 

Everyone else has pretty much summed this one up... start off with the alien facsimile of the MAP01 structure (my original thought was to show the aliens aren't so different, and now we're the invader... but I think @Celestin and @Devalaous's take that its supposed to show the Equinox corporation was just always a front for the aliens is more correct). After clearing some of the side rooms its onto the main event, a giant structure loaded to the gills with monsters you'll never be able to kill, and the map turns into a giant confusing gauntlet. Lots of waiting for lifts and hoping you don't eat a rocket while doing so, which I greatly dislike. I do love that red key sprite, really cool idea - I spotted the key right away (mainly because I already found the doors) but I could see how it could be missed. That's also probably the high point of the map.

 

Certainly there's a lot in this map that's non-obvious and non-intuitive, took me awhile to even find the elevator out of the bottom floor. Also kinda weird how one backpack lift leads to secrets, whereas the other leads to the blockades that are part of the progression (and I think making the first block all-black is a huge misstep as it just looks like a missing texture). Honestly I think I only clued into the progression because I've seen the "hit the switches to lower the corresponding colored blocks" before in other maps, if I was playing this back in the day I don't know that I ever would've figured it out without a guide. And of course the areas are also filled with more ammo starvation or outright hostile bits (the lava run is one thing, you're given an invuln sphere, but forcing the player to go back into it?) Then there's some getting up close and personal with the masterminds, and one final battle which is mostly just a room full of arachnatrons and an AV for good measure. Whatever. I can definitely see why this map would be memorable (especially in 2001) but like most of the rest of the mapset it's terrible to actually play. I'm leery to try and guess at the author's intentions, but Devalaous' theory that he got bored and didn't have the interest in taking the time to playtest, balance and polish things certainly feels likely.

[FistMarine]

Hi. Here is my Equinox review, hopefully I'm not too late! And I apologize in advance if my commentary seems a bit uninspired and if I sound a bit harsh towards the end, as well as the rather unconventional methods of playing this wad. It is the rare exception where I cheat a little bit, see below for more info.

As I specified in previous post, I am somewhat familiar with Equinox, as have finished it a couple times before in various ZDoom versions (first playthrough was in 2013 or so with Aeons of Death mod on HMP skill but I don't remember if I really had to cheat in last level or made it to the end with the help of all inventory items I have gathered at that time, I wasn't 100%'ing the maps back then either so I was mostly playing casually) and to this day I don't regret my choice of using ZDoom instead of the Boom ports, since the author apparently used ZDoom to test the wad back then but that doesn't explain how the last two levels are crashing at times on very old ZDoom versions when this was released before ZDoom 1.23b33 even came out.

 

I actually wonder what version of ZDoom was B.P.R.D. using at that time? Because from my own experience with ZDoom 1.22 and 1.23b33, last map crashed several times during gameplay and even became unwinnable due to spending one hour in the map, it kept crashing towards the end that I had to give up 100% kills even with cheats (at least that happened in 1.23b33 because that ZDoom version wasn't very stable from what I noticed). Oh yeah and Infinite Ammo option only worked if you still had enough ammo (2 shells for SSG, 40 cells for BFG, all other weapons with 1 ammo left) in order to fire the weapons. In newer ZDoom versions, you can use the weapons even at 0 ammo left with infinite ammo enabled. :P

 

Anyway, last time I have finished Equinox was last November in ZDoom 2.8.1 with mouselook, jumping and crouching enabled, as well as Compatibility set to Default to make sure the wad works as intended. Played as usual on the UV skill, continous with saves, 100% everything (or at least as much possible in case of last two levels) in each level. I used the YouTube playthrough by Sorcerer, as well as Doomwiki.org for the occasional secret.

 

I confess having temporary enabled the Infinite Ammo option in last level and I have also used jumping and crouching in a few parts in some maps, the former mostly for minimizing damage over mandatory hurt floors and the latter for avoiding enemy attacks in cramped corridors where it was impossible to dodge.

 

Equinox has impressive new graphics for its time and a cool new soundtrack but there is no story provided, not that I care about story in general in games but most other wads provided a story. I also find strange how the levels have no new names, they just reuse Doom 2's level names. I like the new status bar (especially how it shows that you are in critical condition when at 39 HP or less), even though I played with ZDoom's Alternate HUD which meant I didn't see the HUD this time.

 

Replacement sprites for Pistol and Chaingun look quite ugly to be honest. The former seems to be sort of a rifle and the latter is a dual chaingun, though their fire rate and damage are unchanged, only new sounds and sprites. Maybe the rest of the weapons and all monsters should have gotten new sprites too, to add to the atmosphere, right?

 

Let's see how EQUINOX holds up by 2024 standards!
 

Spoiler

 

MAP01

A nice and easy intro map. The only enemies you face are zombies and imps, so there isn't much challenge. The visuals are also pretty cool looking. Overall, this is a nice opener.

 

MAP02

A very short hub map that will be revisited a few times later on. As previously, there's only zombies and imps present in this map. Overall, this was another nice and easy map.

 

MAP03

Here is where Equinox starts being a little annoying but that doesn't instantly make the map bad. There are still a couple good things to say about the map but you will mostly remember the dark, cramped corridors and a bit of a confusing progression, as well as a long elevator ride.

 

The most annoying thing is that dark maze with the pinkies. If you are playing in ZDoom, I highly recommend once you get your hands on the Chainsaw, to start using heavily on weaker enemies (imps and demons/spectres, also occasionally on lost souls and pain elementals), as you will save a lot of ammo. Besides, you don't have to worry about the vanilla wonky hit detection, so the chainsaw is a lot more viable in ZDoom ports.

 

Oh and interestingly, you will quickly realize that B.P.R.D. is actually quite generous with the Blue Armors throughout these maps. Sometimes you will end up with unused ones in the map, especially if you are a resourceful player and only grab armor when needed. Overall, this map was okay.

 

MAP04

The first half of this map is pretty nice and it was fun to take on tons of zombies and imps with a few Arachnotrons thrown into the mix. I recommend using any of the shotguns here, you can save a lot of ammo as shells are plentiful. There are lots of supplies that you will not have trouble dealing with this part.

 

The only thing I don't like here is the fact that one secret (Megasphere + Rocket Launcher) can be permanently locked. I believe it's the fourth switch that locks it, so don't press that one and press all the other ones. Upon grabbing the goodies, you are free to press that switch now.

 

The second half of the map is pretty damn annoying and that's where the madness begins. There are multiple points of no return and you can start running low on ammo if you don't spend it wisely. I hope you grabbed all those shells before you left the first couple rooms when you took the elevator. I also recommend making a save here just in case.

 

There is a Cyberdemon boss fight with forced invisibility on you. It's less of a pain in ZDoom if you can crouch at an upcoming rocket that you can't avoid in time, though the room should be large that dodging can be possible at most times. I also recommend using the SSG to kill the Cybie and saving the Plasma ammo for emergency situations much later in the wad.

 

Funnily enough, when I played Equinox with Aeons of Death mod a decade ago, the randomizer decided that this Cyberdemon should still be a Cyberdemon. Yep, of all the possible combinations in the mod, it turned out to be an ordinary Cyberdemon that just dropped a Rocket Launcher and ammo when he died, as far as I remember. I should be thankful that he wasn't randomized into one of those deadly bosses that can be found in that whole mod. :P

 

Anyway, back to the map. There are corridors filled with Revenants and Chaingunners, then some annoying cramped fights with various monsters (mostly Mancubi) where their projectiles can be difficult to dodge. This is where ammo got really tight on past playthroughs, was doing much better on last playthrough though.

 

At the end, grab all the stuff (including a fresh new Blue Armor) before entering the last area with those green tubes. Make sure everyone is dead, pull the lever, step back and witness the loud explosions.

 

Overall, this map was meh. Too many annoyances dragged down this map's quality that not even the epic explosions managed to restore the lost quality.

 

MAP05

Back to the hub from MAP02. This time featuring a stronger opposition. Don't forget to grab a new Blue Armor in the hurtfloor before leaving, it's not counted as a secret and can be easily missed. Not much else to say.

 

MAP06

Decent map with some interesting fights/parts. I liked that you could backtrack from the very end, if I remember correctly that teleporter lets you backtrack for more supplies if you want, like the Blue Armor and Soulsphere you may have left behind.

 

The BFG secret is appreciated and useful for continuous players at least. The Blue Armor secret is easy to get if you are using mouselook and see where you are falling.

 

The only part I found really annoying was the small blue room where you press a switch and you get ambushed by pinkies and chaingunners, as well as two surprise Revenants in a rather cramped spot! I always lose a lot of health in this section, because of course the Revenants decide to fire unavoidable homing missiles that deal a lot of damage. Thanks guys! At least I survived with 44 HP this time. Overall, this map was better than MAP04, that's for sure.

 

MAP07

As with MAP04, the first half of the map is pretty solid. There are some good parts and ammo situation is much better than some previous maps.

Unfortunately, the second half wasn't that great, as we still have to deal with points of no return, dark corridors and shitty monster placement, mostly towards the end when reaching those oversized rooms.

 

Luckily, many rooms filled with monsters can be solved by just making everything infight. You will save a lot of ammo that way and it's highly recommended because this is another map with tight ammo, especially towards the end.

 

So before reaching those gigantic dark rooms, make sure to grab everything, as there is no way back. Afterwards, do the same before entering the room with the teleporting Archvile and then do that again when you come across a Megasphere before entering the final room. Because afterwards, goodbye backtracking!

 

Speaking of the final room, it is an oversized warehouse filled with crates. It looks painfully ugly and it is a chore to kill all the monsters situated in this room. I ended up running in circles and made most of them infight but during that time I lost quite a lot of health/armor from chaingunners sniping from above that I couldn't even see and then later when I teleported and lost some more health/armor because there were snipers waiting for me. Thanks a lot. Luckily there is a Soulsphere secret that can refill all the lost health.

 

Once you are done clearing this mess, grab everything and pull the lever to start the loud explosions and finish this damn map. Overall, much like MAP04, I found the map pretty meh, as I liked the first half but didn't really like the second half.

 

MAP08

Back to the hub, this time with even stronger opposition. Like with MAP05, don't forget to grab the hidden Blue Armor. Not much else to say.

 

MAP09

Good news! This is one of the best maps in Equinox! It takes place at a Hangar, it is huge and is packed with tons of monsters, which means it is very easy to make them infight, allowing for some entertainment while running around and dodging everything.

 

The only thing I dislike is how you have to run on a long 20 dmg floor in order to collect one of the secrets. The secret in question is very rewarding (Blue Armor, Cell Pack and Invulnerability) but getting there is not easy. If using ZDoom ports, you can just jump to minimize the damage, I'm not ashamed I had to jump at least once just to minimize the damage. Once you reach the secret, kill the zombiemen and grab everything before leaving. Afterwards, you can use the Invulnerability to finish off the remaining survivors.

 

Other than that one section, I enjoyed my time with the map for the most part.

 

MAP10

B.P.R.D's answer to Plutonia MAP11: Hunted! A map filled with nothing but Arch-Viles! 51 of them in fact! It's not that bad when played continuously but you must still be resourceful with the supplies (this map only contains cells), as well as quickly taking cover to not end up with low health if you get blasted a few times.

 

I don't have much to say about this map other than obviously a couple points of no return being present, for example at beginning you must grab the secret and the megasphere (even if already at 200/200) before entering next room, if you care about 100% completion and the final battle at the end requires you to immediately grab the Invulnerability or else you get flamed to death without any chance to survive.

 

Yes, I have died here once in last playthrough, which was quite bullshit because Archies spawned earlier than I expected and prevented me from grabbing the invul until my ass got flamed to death. Even with invulnerability grabbed, you need to kill them with BFG as fast as you can because you will get thrown across the room and if the invul expires without having killed everyone, you are screwed. Once you are done with this mess, press the switch to finish this goddamn map!

 

I admit that unexpected death made me a bit salty, if only because I played that map (and a few earlier ones) on my birthday and this came out a bit of a surprise. :P

 

Overall, this map was kinda meh. Some good ideas and really like the atmosphere of map taking place inside an alien ship but the gameplay is not that great. I liked PLUTONIA MAP11 a lot more than this. Seriously.

 

MAP11

Back to the hub, this time for the last time. Unlike the previous visits on maps 2, 5 and 8, the hub has now changed a lot and feels like a proper map in terms of length and gameplay.

 

There is plenty of cramped combat in dark corridors, often against Hell Nobles and Revenants. Your best bet is to use SSG here and take cover from their attacks.

 

At the end, you get to fight against various Spiders, including the Mastermind, who can be difficult to take down with projectile weapons, due to decorations blocking the shots, which means she will easily win against the Arachnotrons. Of course this only happens in ZDoom ports, so I advice to use SSG while taking cover and finish her off.

 

After taking out the damn spiders, there are just a couple more monsters waiting in front of the exit portal. Clear them out, then go back and restock on supplies if needed. You will need as much stuff as possible to have a chance for the next two maps. You have been warned!

 

Overall, this map was decent and one of the better maps in Equinox. Unfortunately, it's all downhill from here...

 

MAP12

(73% Kills only!)

 

Here is where Equinox goes downhill IMO. A map filled with many annoying monsters, some stupid design choices and on top of that, there is an unnecessary IOS maze at the end where you must find the exit quickly before you get overwhelmed and die (I cannot imagine how this part plays with infinite height). Or you can just hop on the raising platform and reach the exit easier but if you want 100% items, you need to grab the last one or two items in the maze (I believe those were megasphere and invisibility). 100% kills is impossible in ZDoom ports, unfortunately but that's the price you have to pay.

 

What's worse is that playing this map in very old ZDoom versions such as 1.22 and 1.23b33, the IOS wakes up at the start of the map upon firing a shot and goes on until you finish the level. No, I don't understand WTF is up with that but in latest 2.8.1 release it doesn't happen thankfully, so you don't have to deal with this bullshit.

 

Other than that, annoying things include the demon pit at start, Archvile snipers, Megasphere secret requiring an AV jump (I think, though I jumped to get it), running over 20 dmg floors, a section where you must press switches quickly or you get crushed and the part where you get teleported in front of a few tough monsters while you can't quickly react.

 

Overall, this map was trash and I hated it very much, especially on my first playthroughs years ago. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who hates this map but I really think this was the lowest point in Equinox. Maybe the final level will end up better?

 

MAP13

(100% Kills possible with Infinite Ammo gameplay option enabled!)

 

Note: I am NOT going to talk about most of the level because there is a lot to say, so I will just only talk about some parts. And yes, I am aware that this level is not possible to UV Max by default and I would have understood if only the Cyberdemons were "unkillable" but unfortunately, there's more groups of monsters that are unreachable or impossible to kill due to awkward placement. As such, I decided to cheat a little bit, as you will see below.

 

We are back to the entrance of first level but something's not right. If played continuously and actually took the time to complete the insane maze at end of previous level, I guarantee you will arrive at this level with very low health/armor left (and with very low ammo in past two playthroughs), like I did. Luckily, once you get past the first few enemies, you will get some health supplies.

 

The invulnerability secret at beginning is not that useful because you will only get to use it for a little bit. It's more useful if you started the level with low hp and end up running around the building to grab some health packs while invulnerable and make monsters infight. Once you get past the first rooms, prepare for an adventure you will never forget!

 

Now, I confess having used Infinite Ammo gameplay option in this level at a few parts, most notably those unreachable monsters, the lava pit and those Cyberdemons that you are supposed to avoid in that large area. This was the only time I have "cheated" in Equinox, unless you count ZDoom's features as cheating too.

 

The one thing I really liked at this level is the fact you can find a dead marine's body that holds the Red Key. And you can get near it to pick it up. That's awesome! But what's not awesome (and I feel the lowest point of the level) is that long lava corridor with many demons, spectres and a few Archviles thrown into the mix. You are given an Invulnerability to reach the other end but on the way back, once you complete the objective, you are given a Megasphere while avoiding the monsters again. I am not ashamed to admit I save-scummed, spammed the BFG with Infinite Ammo enabled (to kill absolutely everyone, on both trips) and abused jumping in this section just to get rid of all these fucking demons.

 

I also found myself constantly at low health in this map after some bullshit parts, though it was definitely possible to survive many of them on the first attempt, it's just the damage was unavoidable and left me at times with very little health left.

 

Another awful thing is killing all those unreachable monsters high in that area. Even with infinite ammo enabled, killing those Barons/Knights was a chore, whether I used BFG or Rockets or Chaingun, I must have spent minutes holding the fire button to get rid of them. Don't get me started on having to run around the whole gigantic area to kill the Cyberdemons on pillars with BFG, must have taken 20-30 or so minutes to fully clear this whole area.

 

Oh yeah and the ending sucks too. Well, the final fight itself is fine, it is a difficult fight at the end against Arachnotrons, Revenants and Archviles (it also prevents backtracking because of course it does, why should I be surprised at this point?) but my issue is that the player dies (multiple times) at the end upon pressing the switch. It feels like an anticlimatic ending. And as final insult, I got Time Sucks at the end of this map! Yes, it was only 5 minutes past 1 hour but my point still stands and the time doesn't include the break I had to take at times, the reloads and such.

 

Overall, I hated this map and found it on par with MAP12 in terms of shitty-ness. I hated its gameplay but I liked its atmosphere and design (and the marine holding the red card), except for the shit like that lava tunnel, unkillable monsters without cheats, etc. I can understand the Cyberdemons being unkillable but why have all the other groups of monsters unkillable too? It means there is no way to tell what is the maximum amount/percentage of possible kills without cheating.

 

I understand this map made it to the Top 100 Memorable Maps but while it is indeed memorable, its gameplay wasn't that great honestly.

Total Deaths: 9 (MAP10, MAP12-MAP13)

 

Note: Deaths are noted from last playthrough, which is why I only died 9 times in total. On all previous playthroughs, I have died plenty of times in last two maps that my death count was around 30-50 or so. You can tell I didn't have much fun with Equinox on first playthroughs but last playthrough turned out much better. Still didn't like last two maps but I can appreciate their design at least.

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

Overall, I find Equinox to be a mixed bag. Many of the levels are quite epic and the wad truly shines if played in ZDoom with mouselook at least, which lets the gameplay flow better, especially as many levels are very large, so you don't have to deal with many annoying vanilla limitations, at least in my opinion.

 

Unfortunately, the last few levels are a mess due to plenty of annoyances that detract from the experience. I don't think first 9 maps are that bad if you manage your supplies carefully (only grab stuff when necessary and grab everything before exiting or before points of no return) and find all secrets, though I find annoying how frequent are the points of no return in this. But if you are getting 100% in each map, you should be fine, at least until the final level where you are guaranteed to get screwed if you didn't manage your ammo well.

 

Map11 isn't that bad either (it's comparable in the difficulty with maps 5-9 I guess) and Map10 is acceptable if you can deal with the Archviles. It's the last two maps (12 & 13) that have a very strong impact on the mapset and can discourage people from finishing it if they get stuck or give up earlier, which is a shame because I like the looks of the final map at the very least, just too bad the gameplay is garbage at times in some of B.P.R.D.'s maps.

 

For all the great levels in Equinox and his other well known works like Grove and The Mucus Flow, you have a hit or miss type of gameplay that instead of impressing the player, will most likely frustrate them with the annoying gameplay, regardless of whether it was done purposefully or not. Which is a shame in my opinion, because if he worked harder, he would make really good stuff that is more accessible to the wider audience.

 

At same time, it's disappointing that B.P.R.D. is more well known as the person who created the infamous Nuts series rather than the person who created Equinox, Grove and Mucus Flow. That's the way I see it, feel free to correct me but I wasn't in the community back then, so I don't know what happened to him and why he left the Doom community. But if he comes back one day, I hope he learns from mistakes and either remakes Equinox/Grove/Mucus Flow to the 2020s standards or he creates a brand new map/episode/whatever that has the same creative visuals as his previous works but with much better gameplay.

 

Closing Thoughts

 

I enjoyed Operation: Biowar a lot more than I thought I will. It is yet another one of those late 90s wads that mixes the story with the gameplay and I think the wad mostly succeeds at that. There are some issues present but nothing too aggravating. Difficulty was rather easy but I had plenty of fun revisiting that wad. Some parts may not hold up well but pretty much every map was at least good, even the weaker ones.

 

Equinox, on the other hand, goes up and down like a rollercoaster. Some pretty good levels, others are kinda meh and others are trash or just dragged down by many annoyances. Visuals still hold up pretty well but gameplay-wise, I don't think the wad holds up too well nowadays. Difficulty is all over the place (looking at the comments, I see the wad is even worse balanced on HNTR, how the hell did B.P.R.D. screw up the balance that bad on easy difficulty?), some maps are rather easy, others are challenging and others are bullshit hard for all the wrong reasons. I don't regret playing continuously (with saves) one bit.

 

Therefore, I rate Operation: Biowar a solid 8/10, while Equinox gets rated a very generous 6/10 because the first couple maps (and some later ones) are really fun. But unfortunately, there are too many dumb design choices that drag down the whole experience, especially towards the end. And also the constant lack of backtracking is another thing I dislike. If points of no return were less frequent, I wouldn't complain so much and if the last two levels were better designed, I wouldn't have been so harsh with the rating.

 

It's sad to give this wad such a low score and I also think the author should have been known better for the more impressive wads he released and not the joke nuts series because the potential is clearly here. I would like to see B.P.R.D.'s wads get remade one day. Maybe he will come back one day in the Doom community, who knows?

 

Votes:

+++ Community Chest 3
+++ Good Morning Phobos
+++ Herian 2

Really wasn't sure what to vote, so I picked three random wads, from the earlier linked topic from 2012 and nominations earlier.

 

Have a nice day everyone and see you on the next edition of DW Megawad Club! If I manage to make it in time for once. ;)

Edited July 1 by FistMarine

[Crusader No Regret]

  Turns out I have words to say about a couple of Equinox maps.  Only time I played it was probably 2011-ish.  It was definitely some time after Epic 2 released.

 

map 10: Still remember this one 10 years later.  I can respect the design intention but it's not fun for a pick-up-and-play; one really must be in a mental state to deal with it.  Looking up numbers on the DoomWiki, UV provides 1700 cells (and 7 rockets) to handle 51 archviles.  HMP is a little more forgiving with 20 fewer cells and 6 fewer viles to handle but even that leaves very little margin for error.   Too many missed shots or even an above average amount of low damage rolls and yer' gonna be scrambling around with an empty plasma gun.

  The only time I actually completed the map, it was on HMP continuous.  Which really took the bulk of the stress out.  I did give it a couple of tries from scratch but it was more stressful than I wanted to deal with.  The spiritual successor in Epic 2 (which uses the same background music even) is a much more accessible gameplay experience.

 

map 13: The reveal of the back section really made an impression way back when.  I'm not sure what my final kill % was on the end.  I came in with mostly full ammo on HMP which provided more freedom in approaching the challenges.  In particular, with the nukage channel, I had the luxury of BFGing all the archviles and thinning out the demons with infinite height rocket splash.  Still resorted to frequent save/loads, every dirty trick I could pull out, and baiting infights that wouldn't be practical to attempt in a recorded demo while progressing through this map.  I did go to the trouble of plinking away at the cyber(s) guarding the teleport to one of the secrets.  Couldn't say if I preserved enough to get all the cybers though I'm fairly confident my kill percentage was over 90% at map completion with at least half the cybers down.