PROPHECIES OF CHAOS (a podium mostly to give reviews from)

My corner of the internet to give wad reviews on.

Ive been playing Doom since 1994 when a friend of mine gave me his disks and told me to go straight home and play this game. Ive been hooked ever since. The first thing ive done on every computer or laptop ive seen since is install Doom and play the first couple of levels. I was heavily into playing user made wads back in the 90s into the early 2000s. As i got older and busier, with work and family, i found myself with no time to sit at the computer downloading and playing the endless amount of content to be found. Time passed and still got my Doom fix on xbox. I happen to love the two new games as well but the originals still hold my heart. The Unity port was seriously the best thing to happen to me as far as gaming is concerned. After about 15 years of playing just Doom 1, 2, 3, 2016 and Etenal i finally had access to pwads again. It took just a few months to play through all of the Unity downloads before i found myself cleaning up my sons old desktop and getting right proper Doom running on PC again. Now after a little over half a year of devouring as much as i have time to play and inspired by the entire community here on Doomworld. I have begun what is meant to be my very own review corner. I mean it to be a way for me to get even more enjoyment out of the game we all love. I hope it to be an outlet for me to give my thoughts, opinions and my support to the creators i appreciate so much. At 45 years old none of my friends or family wants to listen to what i think about the levels im playing so im hoping maybe some of you here on Doomworld will. If not thats ok too, im willing to make this a journal for my own documentation. My plan is to start writing notes as i play but i havnt begun with that. Ive been wanting to start this thread for a while now and having just finished a full playthrough of Community Chest 4 i figured now was the right time while i have the latest thing still fully fresh in my mind. I'll leave off on that note and come back after composing my very first full wad review. Thanks to anyone who reads this now or in the future and especially to anyone who ever returns for more preaching from the pulpit of the prophet.😀

You don't say?

[Edit: now irrelevant]

Off to a great start... press of the wrong button and i started a thread without my actual post 😀

Haha, all good. 👍

Ah don't worry, everyone has a little bit of stage fright, right?

1 hour ago, Insaneprophet said:

My plan is to start writing notes as i play but i havnt begun with that.

I envy that - my mind goes completely blank when I start to write if I haven't jotted down at least a few impressions.

You might want to format your posts so they're a little easier to read, but it's always good to have more discussion of wads out there, so don't stress about messing up the first post.

Community Chest 4.  (played on UV)

  This isnt going to be the most in depth, lvl by lvl, review that id like to do in the future but i will make every effort to give this wad its due dilligence. Im aware that just about everyone whos been around for any length of time has played this series and much has already been said in review of it so very little here will be news. With this one im going to concentrate on just my personal opinions.

  And what are my opinions? I found very little i disliked in playing these levels. Right from the start these lvls are long, in depth, adventuresome affairs and THAT is my wheel house. Ive heard it said that it suffers from "magnum opus-itus" and that is not unfair but i found everything here to be so well crafted and balanced that it never started feeling like a chore.

  I am a fan of exploration and puzzle solving and tough incidental combat. I like my traps hard and fast (thats what she said joke..?) and a good set piece battle from time to time. What i dont generally care for are slaughter type battles over and over and over again or even just going from one arena to the next. I feel like there is no flow, no immersion when the map only exists to give you places to show off the next combat senario. 

  Well throughout the entirety of the Community Chest 4 mapset i was very pleasantly surprised. Almost every mapper was giving me their absolute best. There never really felt like a time where i wasnt in the zone, fully living inside the world in front of me. Thats not to say i never died and had to reload, i did that plenty, but i never had to figure out the only way to do something and then perform it perfectly to progress. I never felt like i was being forced to do anything, i was being shown these wonderful creations then left to explore them in my own way. And that is, to me, the ideal gameplay.

  There were definately some lvls that stood above the rest and some that went in different directions but i cant say there was even one definitave one that i disliked. Tomorrow i will make a quick runthrough (idclip) to refresh my memory so that i can say a little more about the stand outs and my favorite parts. Id like to take special note of some things that really should go on my all time list. But for now, thats it, my first wad review. It will only get better from here. I had to start somewhere.

  I hope someone found that to be worth the read and not a monumental waste of their time. I leave you with this...   Doom is a state of mind, not a video game. Only in your very favorite levels do you stop gaming and start Dooming! 😀

Lost Civilzation map 20 Ending (played on UV

 Blind Pistol Start with saves)

  Kills 99% 1340/1341   Items 77% 91/116        Secrets 60% 9/15

  A little back story. Lost Civilization is already one of my favorite map sets and was the first thing i was looking to play when i came back to PC doom, based on the Dean of Dooms review on his channel. One day i will cover every map in it but today we are just looking at map 20. Way back when i made it through the whole episode and left off my playthrough at the begining of this level before becoming too busy to continue for a few weeks. Due to some incompetant errors of my own making i lost my save file and began checking out other things with the intention of one day returning.

  Well i believe the size of this lvl along with my ancient computer made me turn down the resolution quite a bit to get to a playable frame rate but that really didnt hamper the experience as im not opposed to 640×480 to begin with. I did do the bulk of my playing in the 90s or on my various xboxs anyways.

  So this was a top notch adventure from start to finish. I at no time felt safe in this level. Either i was surrounded by enemies in giant out door sections or struggling to clear out small areas underground. At any given time I never felt comfortable with the weapons or ammo i had on hand and every little secret stash found made me sigh in relief.

  I was always lost in this level but never at a loss of places to go next. It wasnt till near the end that progression became clear and i finaly had a handle on the layout of where i was but again there were no road blocks and no dead stops of "what do i do next?" It really captured the feeling of being dropped into an unknown facility with a fully entrenched enemy and trying to retake the site. The only thing missing was looking for any survivors, but lets be real, this is doom, there are never survivors.

  As far as combat goes it doesnt get much better than this. There is a little bit of everything in here. Enemies everywhere, snipers everywhere, traps everywhere, bosses everywhere and even some set piece slaughter ambushes to cap it all off. Its at times frantic and at times methodical, then back to balls to the wall but very rarely are you left with any breathing room.

  In conclusion this was a great finally to a great mapset. Easily in the top of the set, wasnt my favorite Jaska level but tied for second with about three others. I eagerly await anything new made by him but playing this one makes me really consider replaying from the start just so i can relive everything Lost Civilization has to offer including getting to explore this level in more detail.

The Disease, And Casualties This Year Being 1632  (played on UV) released 1/3/2023

  This is the newest, my first current that is to say, wad review. Being as such I'm unsure exactly how to progress. It is by no means a definitive, factual account of what to expect nor should it be taken as anything other than just one insane mans thoughts. I have no intention of cluttering this thread up with negative posts, I would like to be better than that. Having said that, I do strictly adhere to a policy of abject honesty at all times. Sooooo.... Here we go.

  I'll be calling this 1632 for brevity. So everyone should download and give this set a spin! (not everyone should sit and spin!! learn to read) It set out to do something a little special and different and succeeded with flying colors. With no preconceptions or way to guess what was in store for me, this set turned out to be exactly what I'd expect from something with its premise. There really is something sick about these levels, I even felt a little nauseous myself to various degrees playing through it. No two lvls feel or play quite the same, but neither do pancreatitis a heart attack or even fucking covid. I give credit to all of the authors because through their unique design choices, both visually and combat oriented, they created a wad that holds together thematically despite being jarring in every other sense.

  Level 1 "Palsie" by grangg

A tiny little opening level with quick traps that set the tone for the entire episode. Very short and vey abrupt, like a sneeze, violence out of nowhere then over before you know it. As the first level in the set it achieves everything it sets out to do. My notes have "NOT TOO BAD" written under opinion.

  Level 2 "Teeth" by Dieting Hippo

A little larger of a level with much tougher progression. One of my initial notes says "a little rocket spammy" but in hind sight, knowing whats to come later, I think I can take that back. This lvl opens up quite a bit compared to others and does provide a variety of different play style options. I just found it uncomfortable, kind of like being in a dentists office and being forced to say "AHHHHH" for an extended period of time. The longer it sits with me though the more I like this lvl, where it sits in the set and what it does for the overarching concept.

  Level 3 "Jaundies" by A.o.D.

Essentially just two small arenas with frantic teleporting monster traps. However through what I assume is an in depth knowledge of difficulty and balance as well as interesting architecture and combat dynamics this one feels like more than the sum of its parts. Despite being asked not to review it till the revision, it had already landed itself as my favorite of A.o.D.'s four maps. (I am curious though what you have in mind to change and will replay it) Shorter than level two, level three attempts to add more pain into the equation and if I can stay with my dentist metaphor would be akin to when they start picking at your cavity with a probe. A couple of shocking jolts of pain.

  Level 4 "Jawfaln" by LeschNyhan

High concept, high anxiety, highly grating on my nerves. This level is masterfully crafted! From its tight cramped combat to its winding pathways with texture usage to confuse progression to its earsplitting, headache inducing lifts, this one is the first to truly impress. Everything about it was made with a mind towards vexing the player in a very specific way in an unforgettable setting. Think torture chamber, think the movie Saw!

  Level 5 "Surfet" by LeschNyhan

Probably my favorite level in the set. It also is the one that feels the most familiar, coming off as an all out assault on an heavily occupied enemy fortification. I love this shit, its core Doom gameplay. The utterly violent murder of demons with highly explosive weaponry. I'm a fully functioning trained marine dealing death out like a machine. I don't know exactly why but Surfet is just my perfect style map.

  Level 6 "Quinsies" by LeschNyhan

And we're right back to tight quarters cramming as many ambushes into the tangled maze of corridors and trap heavy openings at you as possible. Playing through this one felt like figuring out and opening up a little 3D puzzle, like a rubiks cube but more violent and horrific. More like Pinhead's demonic puzzle box. Yeah, this lvl is the hell that would open up if you were in a Hellraiser movie. It was super fun while it lasted but thankfully on the shorter side so I wasn't punished to an eternal damnation.

  Level 7 "Apoplex, and Meagrom" by Weird Sandwich

A hot start that never really comes to a stop. When played correctly its just a matter of consistently fighting off attacks as you run through new portions of the cavern until the entire cave system collapses down around you and the final massive wave of this infestation collapses down around you as well. I was left with the impression of picking open a scab that hasn't healed and bleeds a lot. I enjoyed the level but not the impression.

  Level 8 "Made Away Themselves" by A.o.D.

Over 900 monsters and a rocket launcher. I killed over 600 of those bastards before I too died. Not just my body died but my soul, ...died! Just when I was starting to think I could connect with this wads particular brand of anguish, in a Stockholm sort of way, A.o.D pulls out this uniquely evil abomination he calls a map. The size and scale of this behemoth are amazing and beautiful in a twisted mindset where despite being obscene in nature this levels simplicity of purpose renders it almost magical to the point of being an unholy relic for the gore obsessed to sacrifice themselves upon. Not entirely my speed but I know there is an audience for this and I really did enjoy dying. 

  Level 9 "Aged" by A.o.D.

I actually do feel aged at this point in the play through. What can I say here, A.o.D. brings us right back to what I liked so much about level three. Almost like he shoves a hypodermic needle full of adrenaline straight into our chest cavity to restart our heart after we've over dossed on rocket spam. This energetic level reinvigorates things with its arch-vile trap centric gameplay and lightning pace. Its an explosion in a compact area and just what this was needed.

  Level 10 "Chrisomes and Infants" by LeschNyhan 

I am starting to think I'm a fan of this author. This gives off strong vibes of the minotaur in the labyrinth where I'm Theseus and the spider mastermind is the minotaur at the center. More core Doom gameplay where progression is a puzzling maze filled with all manner of tricks and traps to bar your way and kill off the unfortunates and lesser characters amongst us. These are the first four maps I've played by LeschNyhan but I'm going to keep looking for more.

  Level 11 "Kil'd By Several Accidents" by A.o.D.

I think I see what he's trying to do here. He's trying to make me think I'm delusional with all these gimmicky traps and this cryptic progression to put as many accidents waiting to happen in my way as possible so as to kill me. I know that's what he's doing, it wouldn't make sense any other way, and it all has to make sense, right? I don't know if its a comp lvl thing or a schizophrenia thing or an intentional thing but things seemed damaged in this final level. It could be reality, it could be just my spirit but something has broken irreparably. At 3/4 of the map complete and certain that I had lost my mind I couldn't find a single place to go or what to do next. I'm still saved there but I give up, I've had enough, I'm fully dead inside. And wasn't that the whole point?

  So there it is, The Diseases, and Casualties this year being 1632. I recommend this to anyone looking for quality stuff. All of these mappers know what they are doing and how to create a compelling experience. They took what is an unusual concept and turned it over and upside down so that the final product was just as morbid as the subject matter. Everyone go play this or everyone go sit and spin! I hope people can enjoy this review as I enjoyed playing this set.

3 hours ago, Insaneprophet said:

 

  Level 11 "Kil'd By Several Accidents" by A.o.D.

I think I see what he's trying to do here. He's trying to make me think I'm delusional with all these gimmicky traps and this cryptic progression to put as many accidents waiting to happen in my way as possible so as to kill me. I know that's what he's doing, it wouldn't make sense any other way, and it all has to make sense, right? I don't know if its a comp lvl thing or a schizophrenia thing or an intentional thing but things seemed damaged in this final level. It could be reality, it could be just my spirit but something has broken irreparably. At 3/4 of the map complete and certain that I had lost my mind I couldn't find a single place to go or what to do next. I'm still saved there but I give up, I've had enough, I'm fully dead inside. And wasn't that the whole point?

 

 

Dang, that's a shame.  There's a real treat for you at the end.

Jumping In Doom  (a sermon on the morality of changing the base movement of our Holy game)

  I recently played a wad that I specifically searched out, that was known to have all of the attributes and fit all of the criteria I was looking for. (Long/Adventure/Difficult) It was made by someone who went on to become a well known/well regarded author and I went in to it with every intention of writing an indepth review for this thread because I thought I'd love it.

 I am unable to even begin reviewing said level. It had begun well and was shaping up to perhaps become everything I had hoped it to be when about 15 to 20 minutes into play I  came to a screeching halt. I had nowhere left to go, I'd gone well into four different routes and killed over 200 demons and found myself at four different dead ends. One route had a key door, one bars that needed to be raised, one route looped around to bring me back to the fourth that lead me to a pool of lava with ascending/decending islands that were to high and too far to run to.

  I spent at least 20 more minuted running back and forth looking everywhere I'd been before and trying again and again to strafe run across the lava. There really was nowhere to go and nothing i was missing.

  It took some looking but i found some mention of how "jumping is required " in a thread somewhere. Let me tell you that jumping is the last thing I would ever consider as being an option in a Doom level. You cant jump in doom! Jumping just feels cluncky and out of place to me. The answer was to just run across the lava and jump up on the other side because you didnt even need to go on the islands or pillers in the middle.

  I dont know anything but from then on everything i thought might make for interesting strafes from non obvious angles on inobtrusive ledges turned into a simple matter of jump up here, jump up there. And every time gamplay came to a stop, so i could look at the keyboard and remember what finger had to hit the jump key and move on.

 This isnt a knock on the level i was playing or its author because everything else was epic and involving. Immersion was broken though, again and again. Its not what Im used to, its not what Im comfortable with and I was no longer able to look at the level objectively due to my subjective preferences.

  So I know that wasnt the only wad or mod that has changed movement/ sprites/ weapons/ monsters/ gameplay nor am I ignorant to the fact that a large portion of players enjoy such things. But I beseech you, jumping is wrong! If you look within yourselves Im sure youll see my truth that jumping is a sin!

  Save your soul. Stop condoning jumping in Doom!!

A Spotlight On Wad Author Michael Reed (9 individual levels played on UV Pistol Start No Saves) all released in the mid-nineties

  I remember when all of these levels came out and they were, at the time, my absolute favorite user made wads. Having memorized every detail of the base games, downloading wads opened up an absolute never ending amount of content to play albeit at an even more hit or miss basis then, than it is today. It really was a time when you had to play ten to twenty wads, or fifty, to find one that may approach an ID quality level. When you would find good ones, it was mostly just that there were few glaring mistakes and a decent layout with fun combat and some puzzle type progression. It wasn't often that the level would have a design or concept outside of your standard tech base and large scale architecture or world building was truly a rarity. Michael Reed's levels, while not the absolute only ones, were some of the first maps I found that opened my eyes to the idea that Doom could be more than just a game, in the right hands, it can be an artform. In the last 30 years the world of 3D gaming has gone through its adolescence, matured and even to some degree grown old. The tools and machines used by both the creators and players have progressed beyond anything that could be conceived in 1995 when Reed was making his wads. The Doom community has experimented and learned so much over the years that what was once a rarity has become almost commonplace and expected. So now I will look back at my favorite levels of yesteryear and after not playing any of them for over 20 years lets see what, if anything, has changed.

  Hoover Dam  9/23/95

The most well know of his levels and easily the most visually stunning. Although surpassed by what people are capable today, the opening vista still sets such a feeling of place that you are immediately immersed in the world and are living the mission to retake the dam. With its 331 enemies taking up positions throughout the facilities and surrounding canyon the combat is continuous and adventurous. Starting on a ledge outside a security door you must avoid being snipped from across the river valley while fighting along cliffsides and through cave systems in an attempt to gain access to the outbuildings. Though abstract in a Doom puzzle room way, you can imagine yourself entering the generator rooms to turn off power on one side of the dam before climbing back up the other side to clear out the pumping station. Then, in what is admittedly an underwhelming battle with an Arch-vile and small Caco-cloud, the level reaches its climax from the top of the dam and the view still feels rewarding. I know nostalgia has its roll but this level still hasn't lost its magic and is just as fun to play and replay again, now, as it ever was back in its day. Still earns its spot as a favorite of mine.

  Level Uno Redux 

Claiming to be a reworking of his very first level, Uno doesn't show the artistic scope of his other works but stands up as a tech base that could fit right into any modern mega wad and hold its own. You start the level with the three dead bodies of your teammates at your feet and have to continue on alone. A fairly sprawling building that is highly populated and very trap heavy, its 421 demons make you fight for your life every step of the way. Masses of hit scanners and light weights mix in with mediums so densely that nowhere is every truly empty and at every turn there are more attacks to keep you on your toes. Don't stop to catch your breath because it might be your last. The difficulty, while still dangerous, feels more like its set up to give the player non stop enjoyment without veering towards the extreme. I've replayed several times due to accidental deaths in my no save runs and would happily boot it up again for one more go.

  The Core  7/21/95

From the dates I could find this seems to still be one of his earlier wads but that doesn't stop this from offering a super fun playthrough. Having yet to move too far away from the formula of a demon infested installation the level could easily sit beside any of the others in either of the original two Doom games middle sections. Every area demands the player to figure out progression piece by piece while blocking their path with multitudes of hell's minions. The placement of the enemies as well as the configuration of all rooms feels like just another part of the puzzle to be solved. Again, throwing a total of 332 demons in your way the combat doesn't slouch, even if its tricks don't feel as mean as traps we've come to expect by todays standards. I continue to be impressed with amount of creativity that went into the design of each aspect of these levels from someone at such an early stage in Dooms history.

  Hotel Hell

Not the first nor the last creator to attempt to translate real world locations into Dooms format, Michael's imagination begins to shine in the light of this type of setting. Filled with what would become know as doom cute this level is intricately detailed beyond maximum capacity and maintains an air of believability that is hard to breathe into an environment such as this. Before exploring the layout of the resort make sure you grab the double barrel stashed behind the front desk as the hotel is hosting the largest convention of demons in the Midwest this weekend, they are booked solid, and if you want a room you are going to have to take it. Fight through the crowd in the lobby, make some elbow room at a table in the cafeteria, hunt up something in the kitchen but don't look in the freezer. Pull your weapons out of your luggage in storage then have a drink with the other guests at the bar because you'll need some guns and a good buzz if you're going to try to relax by the pool. The concert going on in the theater is going to need its final curtain call and if your ever going to get some rest on this trip you'll have to shut down the parties going on in the other suites and put everyone in the bedrooms to sleep. To put this place out of business permanently you are going to have to downsize the management in the offices downstairs and fire every last employee on your way out. While not adhering strictly to a sense reality the atmosphere sticks its landing perfectly and the eviction of all 332 monsters feels like a vacation.

  The Rabbit Hole  7/24/95

I swear to god, my notes on every one of these contain the phrases very fun and high enemy count. This time we have 395 enemies inhabiting an evil little fairy tale world where every single one of them is ready to say "off with your head" and the only moral to the story is kill or be killed. Light on the concept, this level starts you at the end before dropping you into a proverbial pit of hell that you must work your way up and out of back into the light. Plotted out to play quick and easy the arrangement of obstacles, be it foes or traps, is light hearted and entertaining much like the children's stories the name makes reference to. Though not holding to the same lofty ideals of certain other constructions of his, and not as memorable in its delivery, it still displays a level of craftsmanship to be admired. I for one cant seem to have a bad time while playing these maps.

  The Keep

We return to the focus of the level being on the dramatics of your location. Straightforward almost to the point of simplicity the visuals tend to drive the point home without being blurred by an overabundance of details to clutter up what your looking at. Being everything that the name implies, you start across the moat from the fortress and must raise a bridge to gain entry. You'll find yourself clearing the battlements before venturing further to explore the east and the west wings of the building in your attempt to exterminate the occupants infesting this stronghold. Roughly 80% or more of the 366 residents are hit scanning zombies which, along with the toned down graphical design, lends itself to really play off Doom's heritage and make the level play like your in an updated Wolfenstein castle. Texture misalignments appear sporadically through out all these maps but are on full display upon the keeps façade and I find the variation rather appealing to my eyes to the point of wondering whether all of these were true oversights or possibly it was done on purpose.

  Metro 13  9/1/95

A level that entirely wears its heart on its sleeve without even trying to hide its direct influence by making you warp to Doom 2 lvl 13. Made as a love letter to Downtown, Reed even states in the read me that he had wanted to make a city level since he first played it. As a recreation of the style Metro 13 nails the genre and stays true to its mentor by adding many of the troupes that made its predecessor derisive and infamous to begin with. With an even 300 denizens spread out through roughly a dozen buildings progression seems a tad less cryptic and tedious than its precursor. While not being led by the hand in an entirely linear method and being free to explore, the level still opens up in a fairly logical fashion. To the fans of this type of level, and we do exist, Metro 13 is an absolute treat and any one who plays Doom will appreciate the subway station at the end where you can board the last train out of town.

  The Bleeding Tower Of Pisa  11/17/95

Starting with an epic view of titular monument this powerhouse of a level continues to wow me with the sheer majesty of what is capable inside the Doom engine. Captivated by the imagery right from the beginning I found myself thoroughly engrossed in a desire to get into that beautiful structure. Though its scheme is mostly realized through a web of passages and a network of labyrinthine floors of the tower, advancement still feels satisfying after mowing down the 418 demons invading the site. While possibly not as engaging in the combat department as more recent wads I think I will forever be enchanted by my first look at that monolithic pillar. This level has clearly left an impression on me but I would recommend it not for the strength of its layout or gameplay but for what its artistic architecture can imply a Doom level can be.

  The Villa Of Pain  9/06/96

Most likely his last single player Doom wad and sporting a date a whole year after the bulk of his levels. It would appear that at this point Michael had lost his zest for mapping and suffered from a lack of vision for expressing himself in this format any longer. This is the smallest, shortest and least fleshed out of his maps, with a monster count of only 237, there is roughly an entire hundred to two hundred less enemies than on every other one of his levels. Displaying just a germ of an idea and sprinkled with doom cute this offers an easy little playthrough that announces quite loudly that this is the swansong and the show is now over. Definitely worth a run but not necessarily of its own accord, more so if you have any interest in checking out the whole library by this author.

  Having spent the last few days playing, taking notes, replaying and writing up these reviews I find that these are everything I remember them to be. High quality and artistic, intense gunplay with a fun factor through the roof and deserving of every nostalgia dripping memory that places them so high in my esteem. An entire subset of the community relishes in their love of vanilla level sets to this day and these are equal to the top of the pack.

Now go pretend your Doomkid or playing a Doomkid level and have yourself a blast... a blast from the past...                                                  (I'll see myself out now) 

Having recently replayed and studied, in a fashion something akin to an archeologist uncovering all the secrets of an ancient and buried civilization, a well known wad named BOOMER-Beyond Vanilla by Fernito, I felt the need to dig deeper. To go further back into history and discover the different levels that laid the foundation to this great and layered work of art. What I found was an episode 1 replacement, released in 2013, named Fernito's Phobos Base (ferno.zip). What follows is my attempt to recreate the advancements made by this author and sift through evidence of what lead to his monumental achievement.

  E1M1

Just a solid opening level. Small and easy but elegant in its simplicity. Does everything a first map should with good use of all of the games mechanics, on a toned down scale, to introduce the player as to what can be expected from the set and its author. Has almost a token population of demons on guard as well as a few minor traps. Great use of back and forth progression to take you both inside and out of the base with a handful of secrets sprinkled throughout.   An A+!

  E1M2

While very boxy in its design and mostly long corridors and even longer hallways, its layout almost feels fitting as we start to see the beginnings of environmental storytelling. I get the strong impression of a water treatment facility over run by demons. With the occupation forces stationed in greater numbers, combat takes a step up and leads us into a run and gun playstyle, that I feel is where Doom 1 is at its strongest with its low tier enemies and weaker weaponry. For a map 2 its doing everything it should be doing, nothing more, nothing less.   A B+!

  E1M3

In map 3 we find ourselves in a mining project where once again, the UAC has dug too far, too deep, and uncovered something never meant for the minds of man. Using their technology and a form of pseudo-science akin to black magic, they've cast evil spells down in this pit and opened a rift in spacetime creating a gateway to Hell. Legions of demons and dark spirits have spilled out to possess the souls of man kind and feast upon their rotting corpses. The progression becomes a little more labyrinthine and the incidental combat stays consistent while the puzzling aspects of secret hunting and the world building both ramp up.   An A!   

  E1M9

The secret exit takes us through the portal to Hell at the bottom of a long shaft in the depths of the mines. What has the UAC unleashed? A very fitting excursion into slaughter-lite territory we are treated to a glimpse of Doom guy's very own personal hell. A small arena meant to torment and torture the uninitiated but a brief breather of a level for Earth's foremost demon killing marine.   A B-!

  E1M4

Back from our descent to the abyss we find ourselves in front of a heavily occupied UAC military installation. This level is in essence just a maze but through creative use of Doom's 3rd dimension and the games switch and lift mechanisms it becomes so much more than just a maze. The author avoids letting thee level become a grind despite its higher enemy count and heavy puzzle based progression by keeping the action fast paced and the way forward fairly straight forward and linear. The maps five secrets are hidden in mostly traditional fashion but can still take some thinking on the players part to find them all.   A B+!

  E1M5

Easily my favorite map in the set and the highlight of the episode. A tour de force of imagination and detailing this adventuresome level has you exploring an immaculately constructed nuclear power plant., both beautiful and believably rendered in Doom's engine. Teeming with enemies, the demons have over run every nook and cranny and the player must learn the entire layout of the facility to be able to progress and clean out the infestation.   An A+++!

  E1M6

I am a complete sucker for a doom city map and here we find ourselves in one that does almost everything right. Open world with no direct indication of where to go and what to do... Check, aggressive population of citizens that hardly give you a moment to get your bearings... Check, feeling of being small and insignificant in a map large enough to bring you just shy of the brink of being overwhelmed... Check. I've never understood the percentage of the community opposed to this genre of level. City levels are, to me, just one of the corner stones of doom mapping and put on display so many of the things that make doom gameplay so amazing and fun to come back to again and again. There's exploration and discovery, puzzles, large open areas that not only show you just how 3D the environment you're playing in is, but also offer plenty of space to fight crowds of demons that might suffocate you in a more cramped corridor style map, as well as a significant feeling of accomplishment when the entire city is empty and you can go back running around everything alone as if in the aftermath of the apocalypse. An armageddon of your own making.   An A+!

  E1M7

Our final level before the boss map brings us to what I'm thinking of as the UAC headquarters for this particular project. While it comes off as a very traditional techbase with four paths to take from the start, three keyed and one to begin your journey, the consistent pressure of combat and the ingenuity of design makes this a breeze to play through. The map takes far less time to complete than the 400 enemies would lead you to believe but with 10 secrets hidden throughout a patient player can take their time and hunt down every last bit of joy to be had before moving on.   An A!

  E1M8

In their corruption and wickedness, with ancient symbols of malevolence and runes of obscene power, the UAC has cast a diabolic incantation by building an entire structure in the shape of an ungodly hex in an attempt to summon and control the fiends of the abyss! More difficult and nefarious than the original e1m8 this makes for an exceedingly pleasing and appropriate finale to what was a superbly pleasurable and skillfully crafted wad.   A B!

Boomer surpasses this in every way but the compelling use of geography made this set highly memorable and it was fun to play to boot! I rate it as a must play for anyone with an interest in adventure and exploration. 

Greally every better.

  I invite you to sit back, close your eyes and come with me as I take you on a fantastic voyage through the many worlds of level creator @Steve D. Wait, that wont work. Sit back, dont close your eyes, and read on as I take you on a fantastic voyage through the many worlds of level creator @Steve D.

  I have just recently played/replayed every map I could find by them and have decided I would like to go back through them all and write out some thoughts and opinions of them as I go. It was during my two playthroughs of the original and my two playthroughs of the anniversary editions of Realm Of Chaos that I truely noticed that every one of Steve's maps are designed and playout exactly suited to my personal favorite style.

  I'd played maps by them before in both Revilution and UDINO but it was my memories of how much I loved the quiet release of Belicose Barrista coupled with their stand out role, that ran away with the show, in ROC that made me want to do some research and take this journey through the entire catalogue. And oh boy am I glad I did because in the proccess Ive discoved not only one of my favorite authors but a couple of complete episodes including both Abcess and the Caco award winning Shotgun Symphony!

Elfkill-

  An older stand alone level that actually doesnt fit the standard adventure profile I feel I know them for. More of a single location that could easily be a final destination or prelude to a boss level in a small mapset. The starting scene set in the courtyard outside of a monolithic fortress that could be either a demonic temple or mosoleum takes my breath away with how stunningly beautiful and epic an atmosphere can be built by the right artist in an editor. Once inside its just a matter of figuring out how to gain the two keys while fighting off successive attacks by the inhabitants that possess this chapel before gaining access to the holy of holys and exiting the map. I wasnt super sold on my first play but on second attempt the panoramic opening view and chaos created as I just ignored everything inside while grabbing the keys, opening up closet traps, hunting out secrets, letting the demons panic and fight amongst themselves in surprise as I clipped off one here then another over there, never staying in one place long enough for anyone to know what was happening, made for a super fun playthrough that felt more like a covert operation where I infiltrated the site and made off with the relics in a heist that left everyone dead in my wake ninja style. Plenty of supplies exist but a few more rockets would have been welcome because I couldnt use more than a couple on each baron left over in cleanup and I was out before facing the brothers behind the final door. Also, I got 100% ×3 but no weapons for the 60 cells I picked up? Any who, not my favorite of theirs, nor indicative of their common genre, but definately enjoyable and showing of an ability to change gears and create in a different style than what I think may be their comfort zone and something we will certianly see more of as they progress and try out othee new things in thier more recent additions to community sets.

Elfstomp-

  Now this is more in line with what I would come to expect from Steve. A sprawling spaceport that has you teleporting from one facility to the next as you warp your way around this station and clear out all of the employies manning the installation in an absolute dungeon crawl of a level. Slow and methodical in its progression it really never becomes too much of a maze because every new corridor and room leads to either a needed key or way back to the area you need to go to next. An older map in their repertoire the combat is mostly incedental and set piece fights dont really show up in this one but the fighting has a nice ebb and flow between shot gunning fodder enemies and rocketing mid-tiers as you explore and trip this maps traps before reaching the end where you're confronted with a couple of cybers that can be considered the bosses of this base. Nothing here really stands out and is very reminiscent of Steve's earliest ROC work but the game loop is just so satisfying to me and has been what I am looking for in my Dooming since I first played and found user made content back in the 90's. Others may feel a little bored and prefer a more modern approach but I will never think that time spent exploring a map like this is anything less than an adventure.

Disraeli-

  Another long drawn out affair that has us traveling from one end of a massive tech-base to the other with a decidedly arachnid peronality as there are multiple pathways off in different directions that bring the legs of a spider to mind. Again we start outside with an opening view of the opposing building before entering in and finding this to be much more trap heavy than the last map and sporting a couple of nice arenas despite the relative ease of combat inside of them. One thing I myself am quite fond of is just how densely populated these levels are with secrets with most having anywhere from say six to upwards of twelve or so to hunt and pad out our play time. For an unknown reason not all of them will count towards the total on this map but that may have been resolved when we next encounter the updated version in the Abcess mappack. One thing Ive become used to is that Steve employs all sorts of secrets from the very straight forward to the fairly convoluted, you will get previews of high powered weaponry through windows that will need a secret switch to access and soulspheres on pillers or slightly missalligned or off collored textures opening up small ammo caches, but dont be surprised if often times you will end a level and spend your time studying the automap with iddt just to find something that was in no way telegraphed and seems arbitrary at best. For some reason I love it, I dont like when everything is offered up on a silver platter and the more I feel like Im forced to figure things out, succeed or fail, Im likely to have a better time and be more engaged. Im working on my third or forth plays on most of these levels and the shear ammount to discover through careful observation and intense scrutiny on both forward progression and backwards tracking keeps me thinking just how happy I am that there are mappers out there, like Steve and Mechadon, that cater exclusively to us players that enjoy bite sized little maps but also like to sink are teeth into a full four course meal.

 More to come....

Revilution map 4. Blood Factory-

  This map is so much more modern in its design and philosophy than Steve's earlier works. Still a rather large adventure but very interconnected with a compactness that does away with the long one directional routes and back tracking. The combat has also been amped up compared to the slow dungeon crawlers, with a hot start and a persistant amount of mid tiers and heavies to deal with stationed throughout, all while activating trap after trap. We are also given our first proper lock in "set piece" arena fight, out of the levels Ive reviewed so far, where we are faced with chain gunners, revenants, four pain elementals and a pair of arch viles at the end. The secrets, while having fewer than Ive become used to, are thuroughly interesting due to their length, locations and rewards to be had. This map feels more cohesive with the rest of the megawad than Steve's ROC levels but they were made in the 90s when everyone was still experimenting and trying to find their own voice in a brand new medium. By the time Revilution was made everyone from mappers to players had progressed and we can see here that Steve had progressed as well, being able to keep this map in line with the vision of the set while retaining the sense of adventure they are so good at creating.

Revilution map 14. Abandoned Port-

  I LOVE THIS MAP! From the very start the player is under constant pressure from relentless enemies. They tend to herd you and push you along till you find yourself well into your play time and facing the exit of the level and only have one of the two keys you need, most likely none of the secrets and only half of the kills. Its at this point, once everything calms down, that you'll get a chance to really look around and soak in your surroundings. Set in a wonderfully open ended port facility that is anything but abandonded, the humans may have left but demons have taken over residence and they look to keep it. Going back there is alot of space to explore and visable areas to search out access to so as a secret hunter I was more than happy to know I was looking for another half of the level. What we miss almost feels like it could have been a secret itself but I am personally not bothered by that and maybe Im mistaken and and seeing things all wrong. Anywho, once we are on the right path the onslaught resumes and we quickly forget we ever had some breathing room. Battling through more areas detailed perfectly to breath life into the scenery we can pick up our second key, a few more secrets and open the map up fully so the layout can fully begin to make sense. Ive replayed this map five or six times in the last couple of days, taking different paths and different approaches every time and in my opinion everything in this map comes together almost perfectly. 

  Abcess is what I believe to be a six level set of maps refurbished by Steve at the time of release. I know that at least one of the maps previously appeared in Realm Of Chaos and another one is Disraeli but where the other ones come from I couldnt really say. What I can say is that its a really fun set that really shows off the 90s sensibilities of alot of their sprawling creations and works both as an introduction to the author and is perfectly seminal as a lead in to what I see as their definative episode, Shotgun Symphony.

  ABCESS

map 1 Gunslinger Graveyard- 

  A sweet little opener that might resemble more of a map 4 or so if this were Doom 2. Nothing more than fodder enemies but there are plenty of them to keep you constantly occupied so there is never really a dull moment. The layout is interesting and though not exactly compact you are never really very far from the rest of the map or where you need to go next. What else can I really say about this one, its quality early Doom gameplay, what do you expect?

Map 2 Death To You-

  Another good old school level that feels like it could have been made by Id software and would fit right in say a slot 8 or so. Some mid tiers are mixed in so you'll see some cacos, hell knights, revenants and a few mancs but the combats stays quite easy outside of the chaingunners that can and will tear you apart. All in all a good little Doom base that you fight your way out of and around, just what I'd want from a second map in something like this.