UnknDoomer's corner of ultra silence - Short WAD Reviews / Longplays / Hints

@BeeWen, perhaps. Perhaps not. There might be a specific port or port versions issues, might be something I've missed and so on, but, based on commentary on youtube you have just added, you are a sort of guy that perceives any questions as serious criticism, which is actually not, it's just a questions / moments which I've noticed and which are happen time to time, sometime it's not. As you can see my short review doesn't have "Contras" section, while sometimes it does.

So you might / not add an simple answer / note which I might add on top then, but instead you decide to tell that, well, to put it bluntly - "Your gameplay is shit. End of story.".

Anyhow. If there is a possible hard bet made on that works of yours must have no commentaries / gameplay style that, abstractly speaking, "somebody might not like", well, no problem too, I might avoid them in the future, ever in this case it was originally started by @Isolation, same as actually in the first message of this topic my settled gameplay conditions described quite clear / it's a first time I've got such feedback.

159. Mosaic (2023).

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/megawads/mosaic

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mosaic_1-png.303779/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mosaic_2-png.303783/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mosaic_3-png.303785/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mosaic_4-png.303786/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/mosaic_5-png.303787/

@Szymanski:

Quote

Mosaic was a competition to create maps from a fixed template of triangular sectors. The template consists of 1536 isosceles triangles with 64 unit length sides, arranged as a large 1024 unit sided hexagon. Mappers could adjust the attributes (height, texture, tags etc) of the individual sectors but not modify their shape.

A wad of 26 maps, the structure of which is built from triangles, giving the maps a rather unusual, angular style. The levels are the same in size, compact, but different in specificity and theme, each map was created by a separate author, for this reason they as a whole were clearly not balanced in the context of “ongoing” gameplay - it is assumed to start with a pistol. A forced start, as in some wads, is not provided here - by the fourth level you can collect all types of weapons, but, for example, the same third or eighth map, considering that I play exclusively on the Ultra-Violence difficulty, remains tough even in this case, I personally am accustomed to the approach.

As in most cases, when it comes to some technical limitations, the main gameplay comes down to the core idea, but everything else fades into the background. Based on this can say that there will be a couple of remarkable maps here, but, as usual, you shouldn’t expect any revelations - there are simply enough typical levels and arenas with packs of enemies here.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, UV difficulty.

* Complete completion will take ~ 3  hours.

Pros:

+ M11 - "Stygian Scrap Stack".

+ M18 - "The Witch's Cabin".

+ M23 - "Metamorphic Mastification".

Contras:

? M25. It is not entirely clear whether this is a bug or not, but on this map it was not possible to pick up the red key without noclip - the platform does not lower.

- Unremarkable ending.

160. Sigil II (2023).

https://romero.com/s/SIGIL_II_V1_0.zip

Wad by John Romero, released on the 30th anniversary of the original Doom and, like the original Sigil, focused on working with The Ultimate Doom. Positioned as the unofficial sixth episode, it consists of 9 levels (1 secret). Traditionally, in the author's style, the locations are relatively compact, and the number of enemies on average does not exceed 150, and somewhere around 100 per level. Compared to the original, the gameplay has become somewhat more cheerful, but the concept remains similar. The main mechanics boil down to interacting with hidden switches, from now on, at each level you will encounter one, and sometimes two, cyberdemons.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, UV difficulty.

* Complete completion will take ~ 2,5 hours.

Secret level.

E6M3 -> E6M9. On the map you can see a small isolated area. You will need to perform a rocket jump from the nearest ledge opposite.

Pros:

+ E6M6 - "Vengeance Unleashed".

+ E6M8 - "Abyss of Despair".

161. Sekhemti (2023)

Quite a high-quality wad, presented by @Shawn, of 6 levels in the surroundings of ancient Egypt. The action takes place in the "Valley of the Kings". Doomguy needs to explore tombs full of monsters and traps, find a mysterious artifact, and then escape safely from the wrath of the ancient gods, expressed in this case by the constant spawning of new enemies on the last map.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, UV difficulty.

* Complete completion will take ~ 1 hour.

Pros:

+ M5 - "The shrine of Shepseskaf".

+ M6 - "The Tomb of Shepseskaf".

14 hours ago, UnknDoomer said:

161. Sekhemti (2023)

Thank you for playing my Wad !

I really liked your aggressive play-style, it made the video fun to watch.

I hope you had fun !

2. Phoenix Temple (2023).

A map for Heretic, presented by @alexsa2015sa, notable for two facts. The first is complexity, due to which you will have to rely heavily on the default weapon and time bombs. The second is the complete absence, which is rare, of gargoyles. To exit a level it is not necessary to find all the keys and destroy all enemies. In this sense can say that the choice is subjective.

On the other hand, if measure it by the standards of Doom, then there is nothing extraordinary here. For example I managed to pick up a phoenix pod after finding the first, yellow key, and I picked up the third and fourth weapons by the time there were practically no enemies left on the map. Would it be easier with them? Of course, especially considering the number of rounds for the third one. Is it possible to complete it without them? Yes.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, difficulty 4/5.

* Complete completion will take ~ 45 minutes.

163. KGZDoom1 (2023).

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-17-00-17-39-92-png.304222/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-17-00-35-19-86-png.304223/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-17-01-03-28-00-png.304224/

This two-level wad was not on my initial list for consideration, in particular because it was published a few days ago, and at first glance it may seem unremarkable, if you do not take into account a few “buts”:

1. This is the first published work in 18 years by @kdoom, that highly rely on GzDoom features.

2. In addition to custom specifics and textures reminiscent of a combination of Quake II and the first Unreal, the work is notable for its balanced difficulty, although the final boss and the method of its destruction may raise some questions.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, difficulty 4/5.

* Complete completion will take ~ 1,5 hours.

Thank you for playing my maps! That was a very good run you did, too. I really enjoyed watching. I have to admit, the ending battle is a bit unfair, but you did it!

164. Veil of Darkness (2023). Cacowards 2023.

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_1-png.304253/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_2-png.304254/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_3-png.304255/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_4-png.304256/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_5-png.304257/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_6-png.304258/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_7-png.304259/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_8-png.304260/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_9-png.304261/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_10-png.304262/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/vod_11-png.304263/

A wad for Hexen, presented by @Captain Toenail, notable for a number of features. In particular there are:

- new consumable items;

- the usual roster of monsters was supplemented with unique varieties;

- several colorful bosses, in particular ettins, driving chariots and a tank in the Warhammer style;

- chests of two types with different utilities; to open them you need to find keys;

- 5 trolls, the first of which can be found behind one of the shelves in the first location; finding all five will give access to the fourth weapon, which would otherwise be quite difficult to assemble (the first part is hidden in the basement of the castle, the second under the mill, in the ventilation, which can only be climbed using the jump panel, finally the third is hidden in the pyramid, access to which will open when saving a character in the starting location; I personally did not get it).

- custom textures.

Based on the combination of these factors, wad is comparable to Wolfen, released in the 2000s.

According to the plot, the chosen hero will have to confront a demoness named Nox (the reference to the corresponding title is quite direct) and explore a series of locations, from a swamp and forest, to a castle, an ice cave and the huge mechanical basements of a mill (hello Hexen II). Balanced gameplay, interesting puzzles and a patch for compatibility with Walpurgis are included.

Playlist

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, difficulty 4/5.

* Walpurgis 0.96A.

* Complete completion will require ~ 6,5 hours.

* Colored lamps do not have a special functional load and can be used for additional lighting in a particular location.

* The ending is open.

162. PUSS XXVIII: Quoth the Raven (2023).

Screenshots:

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-15-14-28-43-44-png.304025/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-15-19-06-11-78-png.304027/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-15-23-41-43-86-png.304031/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-15-23-44-36-66-png.304032/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-16-00-15-53-74-png.304035/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-16-00-45-54-76-png.304039/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-16-01-38-53-58-png.304040/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-16-07-00-02-11-png.304044/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-16-07-01-25-79-png.304045/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/wolfenstein-3d-screenshot-2023-12-16-07-07-07-48-png.304046/

Wad for Heretic, presented by @Death Bear, consisting of 3 episodes and 27 levels (3 secret). It is a collective work of 17 authors, created, among other things, in a short time frame - no more than 8 hours to develop one map.

Despite such timing, the end result is quite solid, the maps are well detailed, not least due to the use of a custom texture pack. In this sense, in general, it can be noted that this element, which 4-5 years ago in the Heretic context was rather a unique event, is now gradually becoming commonplace.

The name of the game does not refer to the company that developed the original game, but to Edgar Allan Poe and his famous poem, in connection with which, in particular, there is a related plot. The theme changes from episode to episode - if at first it is the surroundings and various spaces, such as caves and forests, then in the second episode these are combined with the predominance of urban buildings and with a small, or, conversely, large number of enemies. The third is the embodiment of conventionally abstract demonic, or more precisely in this context, “snake” fortresses.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, difficulty 4/7.

* Heretical Doom 1.5 + Monsters 0.4.

* Complete completion will require ~ 5,5 hours.

* EXM9 exit is automatic from E1M6, E2M4 and E3M4.

Pros:

+ Small details.

+ Soundtrack.

+ E1M7 - "The Deep Woods of the Hopeless Morrow".

+ E2M4 - "Clue".

+ E2M9 - "Water Weird".

+ E2M6 - "Crystal Caverns".

+ E3M4 - "Quaff of Raven".

165. Heretic To Hexen Mod (2019 / 2023).

The last work on the current list and which I would like to focus on this year, presented by @deathzero021. Conversion of three original Heretic episodes into the Hexen reality. Everything was replaced - textures, enemies, weapons, consumables. At the same time, the structure of the levels itself remained the same as it was many years ago, but from the standpoint of the surroundings it was also replenished with the possibilities provided by the latest versions of GzDoom, which is why the familiar atmosphere is perceived doubly differently.

Otherwise, there is nothing special to say here - the same Heretic, only in different angle. Since I played through the original three episodes more than "few times", and the author does not plan to expand it to five, in general I decided to limit my playthrough only to the first episode, additionally diluting it with a gameplay modification of Walpurgis. As a result the balance became somewhat lame, which is why it is recommended to get acquainted with it without any “additives”.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, difficulty 4/5.

* Walpurgis 0.96A.

* The first episode will take ~ 1,5 hours.

On 12/17/2023 at 2:30 PM, UnknDoomer said:

163. KGZDoom1 (2023).

 

1. This is the first published work in 18 years by @kdoom, also formerly known as kgsws.

I'm fairly certain kdoom and @kgsws are different people.

17 hours ago, Andromeda said:

I'm fairly certain kdoom and @kgsws are different people.

I don't know who kgsws is....not me. I didn't catch that lol

@Andromeda, @kdoom, well, it seems I've got into wrong source then. Fixed.

On 12/23/2023 at 1:08 AM, Andromeda said:

I'm fairly certain kdoom and @kgsws are different people.

On 12/23/2023 at 6:35 PM, kdoom said:

I don't know who kgsws is....not me. I didn't catch that lol

On 12/24/2023 at 8:42 AM, UnknDoomer said:

@Andromeda, @kdoom, well, it seems I've got into wrong source then. Fixed.

What makes it even more funny or confusing is that i have actually released something with almost the same name ages ago.
https://doomwiki.org/wiki/KGZDoom

166. Nerves of Steel (2015 / 2017).

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Nerves_of_Steel

https://mikestoybox.net/2017/01/04/nerves-of-steel/

https://www.old-games.ru/forum/attachments/3317_5ff4ac0fa2f58-jpg.305730/ (poster)

About some notable works of a guy under the nickname Impie, such as Strange Aeons and Realms of Dr. Chaos, I told you earlier. Today I would like to talk about another one, this time pure TC, inspired by one of the worst shooters of all time - Nerves of Steel (1995).

Quote

199X... Japan fell into the hands of the fascist Red Moon Faction and returned to Edo Period isolationism, cutting itself off from most of the outside world. Visiting foreigners were swiftly booted out and told never to return. Outside communications were heavily censored by the secret police. The faceless leader of the faction, known only as Aniki -- "Big Brother" -- ruled the country with the iron fist of a modern shogun, torturing and crucifying all dissenters. Despite their fearsome campaign, the Red Moon was written off as a candle in the wind, Aniki as a third-rate Kim Jong-Il who would be out of power by the turn of the century.

More details in the .pdf attached to the wad file.

As you know, “from love to hate there is one step.” Taking this principle as the cornerstone, the author converted all his anger regarding the original title into the creation of a unique total conversion, which, on the one hand, nominally takes the plot of the original as a basis, but in fact is somewhat different in this regard, including for technical reasons, and on the other hand, in the context of the elaboration of details and gameplay, it is many times superior to the unremarkable original and moves it's interesting concept to a completely different level.

TC contain:

* 2 heroes to choose from.

* 7 guns.

* 16 types of Japanese-speaking opponents.

* 3 episodes of 6 levels, each with unique textures and soundtrack.

Second video, third video.

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, "Senpai" difficulty (4/5).

* Complete completion will take ~ 3 hours.

* Those interested in similar works can be recommended to pay attention to the “spiritual” successors of Operation Body Count (1994), Angst: Rahz's Revenge (1996), Fears (1995, Amiga CD32) and Killing Time (1996) represented by Operation Body Count (2017/2018), Dinomensch (2020), Fears (2020) and Mask of Sobek (2023) respectively.

Contras:

- E1M6. In my opinion, the teleport sequence is not a good idea. I still couldn’t find the right combination to move to the next section - I used cheat codes.

? E2M9, E3M14. At the end of the level, one of the sections did not open. I couldn’t find any switches that could open it. It's not entirely clear whether this is a bug or whether I missed something. A similar problem occurred on the M14.

167. IronTusk's Diablo 3D (2018 / 2022). Build 1.2.25.

https://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?t=59198

About a year and a half ago, I briefly mentioned this TC, made by @irontusk341, in one topic on OG, but it didn’t come to a detailed analysis then - the initial familiarization raised some questions about the context of the gameplay, but a more in-depth study made it possible to select subjectively suitable settings.

Diablo The Lord of Terror has invaded the world of Sanctuary to free his brothers Mephisto and Baal. Your job should you choose to accept it, is travel to the depths of the labyrinth and stop diablo before he escapes to free his brothers. This game takes The original Game HERETIC on the doom engine, and transforms it into a FPS/RPG horror game. Now this diablo 3D story will contain, diablo as episode 1, fighting diablo and defeating his essence in hopes his followers will scatter and save tristram. Episodes 2-6 will follow the storyline of Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction. Acts 1-5, plus an additional story which takes place between the events of Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. There are no TRUE open maps, Some maps like Canyon of the Magi, Stony Field, Tristram, most of episode 5, are Somewhat open, but not true open areas like you would expect.

I've noticed a lot of players having issues of finding the next dungeon after the Caves. While I did once have a wikia page that explains the mod in complete detail, Trying to stay true to the original diablo Hellfire expansion, After the cave exit, that takes you back to tristram, The town now has a hole in the ground on right of the map, across the bridge. That hole takes you to the level "The Festering Nest" Once completing that level, you are back in tristram again. This time an opening by the Cathedral will allow access to "The Crypts" Map. When you finish the crypts map, the teleporter will transport you to Lazarus's Domain. This game features a ton of puzzles to open secret passages or doors. If played through with every passage unlocked you should be able to get through the first diablo experience plus Hellfire, as well as Diablo II and its expansion LOD. There is a fan made expansion after defeating Baal, which delves deep into Legendary Diablo Lore.

What in contain?

* Adaptation of the classic Diablo I / II duology, including Hellfire, based on GzDoom, visually and structurally looking like a wad for Heretic, borrowing some elements from Hexen. The narrative is divided into several episodes, covering not only the events of the mentioned duology, but also a fragment between the second and third parts.

* The skill tree here is responsible for an additional modification, Wrath of Cronos, included in the archive.

* There are six classes - barbarian, paladin, mage, hunter (here, apparently, a huntress), necromancer and assassin.

* Monsters, on the one hand, moved straight from the original titles, on the other hand, they are variations from various sets and remade monsters from the original Doom / Heretic / Hexen. Weapons are selected for classes, five for each.

* A basic inventory and trading system is provided - in this aspect the content is substantially closer to Heretic/Hexen than to Diablo I and especially II proper. Although there is enough different loot, consumable items, and armor, there is no full-fledged inventory system that would correspond to the original. All items are used in the same way as consumable bottles, be it pants or armor. The only exceptions are essentially accessories, a small number of which can be found from the seller at the starting location or at levels. Each at the start costs 5,000 coins (the cost can be reduced by increasing the charisma skill), you can carry no more than two with you at a time. Judging by the notes in the topic, this arrangement was not so much a conceptual decision of the author as a general technical limitation.

* Maps are static and do not change from the start of a new game, although in general, to a lesser / greater extent, Doom has been allowing such functionality for quite a long time. In addition, the segments themselves were significantly reduced. The same Hellfire, which in the original occupied 4+4 floors, here essentially occupies only two, and hell is only one.

* There is no monster respawn.

* The quest component was completely leveled down to simply clearing dungeons. With the exception of the sellers, there is no one to interact with here, and all side segments, such as the poisoned spring or the pit with skeletons, are linearly built into the overall structure of the levels. The same applies to side quests in general. So, for example, picking up a black mushroom simply gives a bonus, but there is no witch in local Tristram to whom it could be given.

* I limited my playthrough to the local variation of Diablo I + Hellfire.

* Bosses, including Diablo, are often weaker here than ordinary opponents, like the same dark knights.

* Development of the modification is currently completed and no global updates are planned, as opposed to, for example, The Hell III for Diablo I, a full release of which is expected no earlier than middle of 2025.

Playlist

Settings and features:

* GzDoom 4.11.3a, "Hatred" difficulty (5/9). Roughly comparable to Ultra-Violence, Destruction (6/9) is more close to Nightmare - one or two skeletons can kill in a couple of hits.

* To launch, you need to put the files in the Heretic folder, for example E:\Games\Steam\SteamApps\common\Heretic Shadow of the Serpent Riders\base, launch through "iron tusks Diablo 3D - FULL.bat".

* I have a 16:9 monitor, 1920x1080. “Scale factor” was set to 1.0, but with lower values, I usually use 0.75, local small inscriptions become difficult to read.

* I chose the hunter class. It is possible to call a raven and a wolf for help. Certain parallels with Walpurgis emerge here.

* The parts covering Diablo I + Hellfire will take ~ 4 hours to complete.

At the end of the day can briefly state that it turned out to be an interesting project in its own way, but there are no really special features that could significantly distinguish it from other large-scale total conversions, and in some places including some wads for Heretic / Hexen I've seen around.