Saturday, April 30, 2011

Comments

If you have questions, comments, criticisms, suggestions, whatever, feel free to leave them here. I'd prefer comments specific to WADs I've reviewed go to those pages. I do get notifications of those. Granted, I feel kind of dumb responding to stuff like "nice review!" since all I can really say is thanks. Above all, thanks for reading!

Oh, and please don't leave comments here or anywhere else asking for immediate help (specifically with completing PWADS). I probably don't remember what you're asking about off-hand and by the time I figure it out you'll probably have it answered on your own.

156 comments:

  1. Great work so far... kudos! Hopefully this blog stays running forever. ;)

    - DeathevokatioN

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    1. Thanks! My only fear is that areas like the indices will outgrow Blogger's limited capabilities, but I think that's a long time off. I dunno what I could do outside of building a separate database and maybe asking Doomworld to host it.

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  2. I've been reading through some of your reviews, and I must say that they are both informative and entertaining. You seem to capture the essence of each mod, and keep a balanced perspective throughout. Also, you cetainly have a flair with words.

    Rock on!

    Rex Claussen

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    1. Thanks! Good to see I'm hitting my key goals in writing this blog. Your two 2011 releases I played were a treat; I look forward to perusing your back catalog and future releases.

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  3. Great blog! As a long time doomer, this is pretty much a dream website.
    I like that you're giving a wide range of doom wads some love, including some old forgotten gems of yesteryear!
    Ever since DoomWadStation became outdated, I've been looking for another good wad review place. You have filled a void man! Keep it up :).

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  4. Discovered this site while browsing Doomworld forums, good to see another place actively reviewing custom wads, well written at that. I especially like the large selection of screenshots and info on each level in a megawad. Will definitely be checking back here now and then.

    Over at my own site (taw.duke4.net) I also occasionally post up a review for custom wads, while not as often as I would like to, Doom isn't the only game I focus on. Added this site to the links page over there too.

    Cheers.

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  5. Hey. Just wanted to drop you a line.

    First off, I wanted to say I think the way you write reviews is great. I'm particularly fond of your standout encounters. They're like little awards. "And the best fight goes to..."

    Second off, I don't know if you're interested in suggestions, but if you are, I've got a few wads I'd love to see you review, and I think you'd enjoy them.

    Claustrophobia 1024 and Claustrophobia 1024 2: The Mystery of Too Many Maps are the successors to Congestion 1024, and, in my opinion, surpass the original aesthetically and gameplaywise, though they're similar. If you ever want more 1024, check them out.

    Speed of Doom is a 2010 cacoward-winning traditional megawad (plus map 33, which you have to cheat to) courtesy of Josh "Joshy" Sealy and Darkwave0000. It has utterly gorgeous levels, and gameplay that matches it (and gets very, very hard when you reach Hell). You liked Joshy's maps in Plutonia Revisited and Community Chest 4, so you might check out his work here, and Darkwave is right up there with him. Speed of Doom is hands-down my favorite traditional megawad.

    Unloved is another 2010 cacoward winner. Paul Schneider, also known as BlueEagle669, put together this five-map hub with a focus on high-detail, atmospheric horror. He brings in a good number of the less overpowered, less stupid demons from Realm667 and an old friend from Heretic to mix with the usual set of critters. BlueEagle makes good use of switches, weapons and the six keys to create a great, not totally linear progression, and I don't know of any wad that reproduces the experience of Unloved (though you might want to use higher brightness than he recommends, 'cause he tells you to turn it down until you can barely see).

    That's my two dollars in change. Sorry for the small wall of text. If you decide to give any of these a review, I know I'll love reading what you think.

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    1. All of these are works I plan to play in due time. My current intention was to play through the Cacowards in yearly order, but that means stuff that got released prior to 2011 will be getting shafted, so there will likely be some exceptions.

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    2. Hey, cool. I just wanted to get a professional's take on my favorites. Happy Dooming!

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  6. Great job with keeping the wad reviews going and I would like to thank you for the new look on the reviews I like how you review the levels one at a time in a table and your rich vocabulary you use in your reviews, as well as how you put all of the wads you review into a neat little table on a separate page. Good luck in your future endeavors in your blog and with your life

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    1. Thanks! With regards to your request for a review of "Titty Milk", I have to say that I don't do deathmatch. Sorry!

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  7. Hey just a short question, How Do you make the tabs at the top of the page?
    Can you tell me please?

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    1. I don't remember how I set it up as it was ages ago, coming up on two years, but it's part of Blogger's "layout" tools in the design screen.

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    2. Hi there!

      Nice reviews, I enjoy reading all the income.

      How about reviewing a D1`s evil clone - Wonderful DooM?
      http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/index.php?id=16642

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    3. Wonderful Doom is definitely on the list. I'll add it to the short list; my OG Doom selection is looking rather shabby.

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  8. I quite enjoy reading these reviews, especially anything I've played myself; Its fun seeing the different/similar opinions on things.

    As weird as it may sound, I'd like to see the Icons of Sin section filled out, ESPECIALLY No Rest for the Living.

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  9. ''Oh, and please don't leave comments here or anywhere else asking for immediate help (specifically with completing PWADS). I probably don't remember what you're asking about off-hand and by the time I figure it out you'll probably have it answered on your own.''

    Well, this is not immediate help, but a rather particular question that i hope i get answers to ;)

    First off, let me just say that i have been lurking around Doomworld and other Doom related sites for quite some time. Enough for me to know who Essel or Xaser are. And also enough for me to know who are mostly the workhorse behind most mapping projects. I am lingering on the thought of downloading Doom Builder and just screw around with it, and making an account on Doomworld so i have a chance to talk to all the great masterminds, but you know, i am still holding back, for reasons i do not know.

    Secondly, Its because of one of your posts there that got me to this site. What i find here is really amazing. Not only do you keep this updated enough that warrants a regular visit, but you also review even the most obscure megawads. As you can tell, i love collecting those and playing them, and besides the ones for TNT and Plutonia, i have got most of the quality ones in possession and playing them as we speak. Your reviews, and especially your introductions with factoids, are really a great read to...uh.... read. Every time i see a new megawad review, i head over to read what your stance on it is. Your writing style is really friendly and easy to read. I hope i am one of those folks that will make you think: ''You know, this is why i do this blog. For people like him.'' Give yourself a tap on the shoulder for making such a great website.

    Now, on to my question. And i know this is a tricky one, and rest assured, i wouldnt have asked if i could found the answer myself. You are talking in your Herian 2 review (which i have, loving the atmosphere in this one) about Jive. I know he ran a maps section at Newdoom and that he unfortunately has passed away. However, he also compiled megawads out of Episode replacements. I am referring to:

    Onemore - a 36 level replacement from 7 different authors.
    Jynewcol - A combination of Torched, Eternity, Serenity and Crusades as 1 megawad for Doom 1.
    SerEtInf - Serenity, Eternity, and Infinity in one megawad.

    Probably missing a few (I might have downloaded them, i dont know), but these are impossible to find. And yes, i even looked through the Wayback Machine to get the zip files (I found a few, but not everything) and it bugs me that i am unable to play these old megawads. I was thinking for a long time to talk about it, but here it finally is.

    So my (not so humble) question will be: Are you in possession of the Jive megawads? Maybe a thread on Doomworld will give answers? Id love to play SerEtInf as one continous game, to enjoy the quality of its levels.

    I know i am asking much, but i hope my question is obscure enough that it gets an answer. If the Jive megawads can be salvaged (As in: Someone still has the zips and dehacked patches), its best to store them on a relatively permanent place. Heck, maybe you can even make a blogpost about it. I am sure that people will put you on hands if you would.

    I think this is all for now. Reading this wall of text must have caused you headaches. I will happily await your response. And once again: Thank you for this website. It sure filled my Doom-possessed heart.

    Regards,
    Red.

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    1. Thanks for the accolades! With regards to your main question...

      Jive was pretty adamant about people only getting his collections from his site, and as far as I know, /idgames won't host them but for the few already on there. I know some of the Doomworld mods / admins were vehemently opposed to what he did, though they regretted his passing. However, in my ignorance, Jive's 18th was one of the first megaWADs I played, and introduced me to the Alpha 1 Trilogy, one of my favorite vanilla WADs to date. I managed to get in touch with someone who had what you wanted and they were willing to share, so I'll share with you. I don't have the time or inclination to set up a site to host Jive's misbegotten DLW collections, but I'll offer what you've asked for here, with a disclaimer for anyone else looking to download these:

      Jean-Yves Delpch didn't make any of the maps in these megaWADs. He just collected the works of the authors, made some alterations according to his tastes for the Legacy Engine, and hosted them on his site (DLW) with author credits. Jive loved the works of these authors and just wanted to share them with everyone else the way he saw them. The fact that he was sometimes mistaken for having authorship or made unpleasant choices when "touching up" beloved classics doesn't dull his enthusiasm for what the creators had done.

      http://www.mediafire.com/download/77isviq37zplphs/seretinf.zip
      http://www.mediafire.com/download/g1m2drkjbd6w0xi/onemore.zip
      http://www.mediafire.com/download/207uj0t5kc3c3c3/jynewcol.zip

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    2. No problem :) If anything, its websites like these that should spark anyones interest in Doom.

      I want to thank you for your hard work into granting my (ridicoulous) wish. I understand that you set up a seperate download site for the Jive collection is a tad much. If there is any way to give the guy some more exposure, may i suggest just making a blog post about Jive and his collection? I mean, the wads that you offer for download here are on (what i assume) your own hosting site, so putting those Jive wads there wouldnt hurt anyone, plus, there would be a more permanent location availible for these things. But you know, this is your site, i am just merely suggesting something :)

      That being said, i know that all that Jive did was collecting levels from authors and merging them to one wad. But yet this was what made his stuff so special. Serenity, Eternity, and Infinity were meant to be played as one continous episode, and this is where i felt Jive did a great job on. Obvious i will have to play this :)

      I found two more ''Onemore'' wads, as Onemore2.zip and Onemore3.zip. If you want, i can upload these.

      Anyhow, i hope we can ever talk further, perhaps on Doom, perhaps on something else :)

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    3. I suppose an "in memorium" page might be well-received. After all, I'm working on doing retrospectives on some of the retired authors who I've played exhaustively (Kvernmo, Klie, Mustaine, etc..). I don't know about putting up the rest of Jive's megaWADs, since I'm kind of skirting the edge on author authority, but I think just dismissing him as an ignoramus is to the detriment of the community.

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    4. This is what i think so too. As for the Jives stuff: Its a mixed bag really. The only place you could find him was his own DLW section, but that place is out-of-date and the downloads are mostly gone. We cant ask the author himself because he unfortunately isnt among us anymore. Also, i dont know who would find it offensive if you put those up for download. If anything, it would be great if those wads would be available again, even when outside of /Idgames.

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  10. Just wanted to say that this blog is amazing. I've been playing Doom since the beginning (I purchased Final Doom, Heretic, Hexen, and Deathkings all at retail) but never got involved in the community at all. I discovered Doomsday in college, and then GZDoom just last year, and I've been playing through all the stuff I missed, and so much of it is phenomenal. This blog is responsible for a LOT of my downloads (60+ WADs just in the past two days!) Thanks a bunch! Keep up the good work. ~Chris

    PS - You seem to be a Heretic fan, and I'm looking forward to playing those WADs you've reviewed. The only Heretic megawad I've really enjoyed (besides Gulag, which I keep getting stuck in) is Sinful Discharge. You should check that out if you haven't already.

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    1. I have a lot of stuff to check out, but I'll give your recs a peek. Thanks for reading!

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  11. Hey KMX E XII,

    Chris Hansen(of CH-RETRO fame) just released an awesome level for DOOM 2 by the name of High/Low 5. When you get a chance, you should review that one. I playtested it and I promise it's good. Also, good work on the blog. I've been keeping up with your reviews and they do not disappoint. Later man.

    -Stormwalker/Vordakk

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    1. Really late reply, but I hope you get around to releasing that in progress Doom II episode.

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    2. As a matter of fact, I did finally release it! FTH666 is the main .wad file, and I also uploaded FTHOSFX which is the same thing except without the new sound effects.

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    3. Yeah, I saw that! I'll get around to playing it.

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  12. I don't know if I'm blind or what but I can't seem to find ANYTHING on this site that shows me how to contact you or submit a WAD. Lately I've been getting into WAD making and I really want to get some feedback.

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    1. Sorry, but I hate to do actual playtesting! If you have a "finished" work, though, you can drop a line here or as a PM at the Doomworld Forums, supposing you didn't get yourself losered or banned.

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  13. Could you please update any links you have on your site for Doom Wad Station to http://www.doomwadstation.net please? Thanks

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    1. The one link on the site - found in Second Opinions - has been changed.

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  14. I read that you were always looking for inspiration - as I followed a link from your site in my tracker and I wanted to ask, as I can not find an actual place to contact you, if you would review my last few maps but even if only one of them, I would ask that you review Bloodworks. While I believe that Bloodworks is (in my opinion) my best piece of work, I also believe that Mitnal and "The Hub" are deserving of attention. I'm certain that many tell you this, but if you haven't played those maps, then you (and your readers are, I believe) in for a treat. Bob Larkin - owner/operator of Doom Wad Station

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  15. He][o KMX E XII and everyone, I don't know if it will make a whole lot of difference, but when I created cwave.wad for Doom back in 01-10-01, I hid a few sort of like 'easter eggs' in it.

    I hid my name in the 'story' description, and then I hid some archaic messages using encrypted dots in one of the chambers.

    The wad itself uses dots and dashes inset into the floor before each door to act as a tutor for Morse Code with letters like this; A ._ or D _.. O _ _ _ M _ _ S ... and so on. Each chamber ends in two doors, with an incorrect and correct answer in the floor in front of it, and you get attacked if you choose the wrong door.

    For instance; the first chamber has the letter 'A' inset into the floor, and two doors, and one door has ._ (correct for 'A') and _. (incorrect, _. is 'N', and gives you a demon). The whole thing goes from A to Z plus 0 to 9, in a linear and mostly level layout that was seriously overtaxing WinDeu and WinTEX on my old Win 95 OS by the time I finished adding the final chamber. Ron "chizotz" Allen, creator of the "The Unofficial WAD Designers' Handbook", was helping me learn the basics and set things up, and we've remained friends ever since, which was 13 years ago now. The openly given wad creator's name in the cwave.txt file is 'Raphael Cheney', which is close to my real name, but the wad will say “Author: (not specified).” But my real name is slightly different and is hidden in the text file. So here's how to find my real name; find cwave.zip or cwave.wad anywhere on-line, open up the cwave.txt file, and as you read the 'story', the fourth letter of the first word of every new paragraph spells out my real first and last names. You look for the 1st word of the paragraph and the 4th letter of that word, which is the first letter of my first name. Drop down to the next paragraph, and look at the first word and the 4th letter of it, and that's the next letter of my name, and so on to the last paragraph.

    Then I hid something else. I don't have a copy of Doom on hand, so I'm drawing on memory now, but as you play through the game, you'll come to a chamber the demons cannot enter, with a blue object in the middle of the chamber which if viewed in map mode looks like a fancy cross shape, and in play-through is a blue wall tex that moves sideways. If you turn around and look down at the floor all around the perimeter of the chamber next to the walls, you'll see a series of meaningless pixel dots of a contrasting color, which I think it was that I made them blue dots. Those are not just dots, they are Braille, and they spell out names which were of personal significance purely to me and at the time I wanted to put a little something 'extra' of myself into the wad but didn't care to let anybody know. So they're there, and you'll need a Braille dictionary to read what they say.

    I also had a little fun creating green foliage that you could walk through, and putting tons of that in a few of the chambers so you feel like you're wading through a jungle and can't see where you're going, and have to be on the lookout for attackers springing out at any moment. So that was my one and only experience at making a Doom wad.

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  16. First off, it's always fun reading the reviews you write: I like the fact that you focus on some of the lesser known gems in the archives like Eye of the Beholder, among others. Also I didn't know the author of EOB went on to map for S.T.R.A.I.N: you learn something new everyday, I guess.

    Secondly(if it's not to much trouble), would you be able to do a request for me? A little while back I released a 6-map wad to the archives called Into The Code, and I'd love to get a professional opinion on it: I put a lot of effort into putting it together and it's always good to know what you need to improve on when it comes to mapping. I'm guessing you have a bit of backlog to hack your way through first so it's alright if you don't want to, but I'd be much obliged if you could find time to review it. Thanks. :)

    -Obsidian

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  17. I would recommend Phobos: Anomaly Reborn VERY much. It blew me away.

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  18. Oh right, I just remembered another project. Doom ONE. Set out to recreate each Doom 1 episode as one continuous level, with a few tricks, traps and new areas thrown in between, I think it is a great showcase of the authors map making skills, especially that this was his first project.

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    1. Posting http://www.moddb.com/mods/doomone for a reference since it looks like a WIP worth checking out.

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    2. I think he finished working on it. Episode 1 has the most extra areas, ep 2 has some, ep 3 barely has any, but it is still quite playable I think.

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    3. Yeah, it seems he has abandoned/finished the project. It is pretty much bug free, so feel free to give it a shot.

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  19. I'm not entirely sure but I think Whispers of Satan had a level based around a great concept. The teleporter flipping the whole place on it's head. Worth checking out.

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    1. Yeah, it's on the list of stuff to check out.

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    2. Just how long your list of stuff to check out list is? :)

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    3. http://tinyurl.com/kvx4lux

      a list that is surely missing some 2014 releases as well as any nods to single maps

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  20. Now this looks looks like an interesting project: http://www.doomworld.com/vb/wads-mods/62339-doom-2-in-name-only-now-on-idgames/

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    1. it looks really divisive but the worst thing it can do to me is be boring so I'll try it eventually

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    2. Just went through the Dead Simple remake. The entire map is made of triangles and traps.

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  21. Like your reviews. If you dpn't mind small environments or trollish secret levels, check out Titan 1024, a level set I made a while back. Would love to hear your thoughts.

    http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/index.php?file=levels/doom2/Ports/s-u/tita1024.zip

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    1. ill do you one better since i know that titan1024 is based on your first two titan stuffs, i'll do those and then do 1024 when i get around to it (c)

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  22. Now that's dedication. Hope you enjoy them!

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  23. Hey man, I've been poking around your site and I'd just like to say that it's great to see other people still enthusiastic about Doom. I also noticed that there's no email address here to send you this privately, so I guess this is the spot. I have a megawad I've been working on as a long term thing, with each map taking a few months to build, test, and finish. The first four levels are done and I think you'll have a lot of fun with them. I want to make this wad as awesome as I can, so I'd really like to see what you have to say about 'em. I noticed somewhere you said that you like to start each map in a wad from scratch and you like it when people twist the standard Doom experience; both of which are things that I stay true to in my map building. I know you have a lot of other stuff on your plate so I don't expect anything immediately, but if you'd like to give 'em a shot please let me know at vinnyroark@gmail.com. Keep up the Doomin' and the great reviews man!

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    1. sorry for the late reply, vinny, but i am kind of loathe to playtest maps. that said if i ever get around to finishing the great purge of 2015 i might take you up on your offer

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  24. love this blog, have found so much fun in it! any chance of a request; fancy trying out my zdoom mod? I'd love to know what you think... here is the link:

    http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=46438#p776148

    keep up the good work
    osjclatchford

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    1. shooting heretic monsters with quake's loadout is probably pretty interesting, i'll see if i cant work this in

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  25. I would like to see in the future the review of those following great projects:

    The Ultimate Torment & Torture
    Stronghold - On the Edge of Chaos
    ZPack - Random Maps for ZDoom
    Knee-Deep in ZDoom
    Community Chest 3

    Pick then in any order as you like - they are all Cacoward materials already, so they should NOT be ignored here )

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    1. well, these works arent being ignored any more than any other WAD that hasnt been reviewed. the only one im really not excited to check out is stronghold because its notorious for its length and haphazard final release. i will throw it on my mega queue tho

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  26. Fantastic site. I love the screenshots and detailed reviews. Thanks for sticking with this project. It is definitely a major service to the community, and is much appreciated.

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    1. sorry the spam filter ate your comment! thank you very much.

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  27. I like your reviews site, it will be great if you review this wad.
    http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/megawads/gzp8glv2.zip
    Greetings.

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  28. Well I honestly didn't know this section even existed before I was pointed to it in the 50SHADES review. Must have missed the previous time I was pointed here.

    Anyways despite any shortcomings (stuff you mentioned on the Doomworld 'What are you playing now?' thread), did you enjoy Doomed Space Wars?

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  29. How was Breach? I see you got around to it quite quickly and seemed super-enthused about it on Doomworld. :) Makes me need a little more of a 'sneak peak'.

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    1. basically HeDRox got accolades for its hyper-detailing but was short, cramped, and lacked any presentation

      breach is hyper-detailing in the best, most functional way, and has waaaaay more character.

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  30. I know you're pretty swamped with 2015 stuff, so here's my personal guidance. I'd consider Ol' No Name, Struggle (in beta), ICAR2015, Monument, and Way Too Many Dead Guys are probably the top five priorities currently that haven't already been covered (in terms of episodes). They're all mentioned and linked to on the 'road map to 2015' page.

    As for megawads, NOVA 2 and Endless Torture have been mentioned; I'd say NOVA 2 is more important, especially once it gets out of beta.

    Can't think of any other single levels wads as substantial as Breach or the larger wads I've mentioned above, at the moment.

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    1. micromanaging my playlist is an exercise in futility

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  31. Well I will stop with the micromanagement attempts then. But how was Way Too Many Dead Guys? I hope not to have suggested any poor wads. I'm mostly suggesting stuff that probably should get Cacoward consideration.

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    1. you are going to have to wait to hear about WTMDG until it is posted, which everyone else is more than happy to do

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  32. Can you give links for where to get Sheer Poison and dead.wire? I can't find them online, and would like to see them without specifically waiting for reviews to be posted.

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  33. Nevermind dead.wire I found it (the xasermap). Still can't find Sheer Poison though.

    Also on xasermaps I recommend 'Sharp Things' and 'all aboard the mega magilla gorilla flotilla'.

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    1. Sheer Poison is a level by yakfak. Look for a post by yakfak titled "New midi (with map attached)" or something like that. Not bothering with a link right now. Should be shpo1

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  34. (I hate when I use my real nickname by accident, because it's not a Doom name...)

    Some wads to consider before Doomsday arrives (they're on the Itinerary suggestions too):

    Pcorf Community Project 2: 2048 Unleashed (all maps play within 2048x2048 square)
    Monument (again...)
    Warlock's Hearth (single map from Khorus, literally almost as big as a full episode from him)
    The Last Sanctuary (huge map for FDC contest 16, and on /idgames already)

    I mentioned Jiffy Bag on the Itinerary but leaving out here because it's probably going to undergo considerably more changes before its final release, compared to what I mentioned here.

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  35. I think in the past I mentioned a partial conversion or two that I made this year, and requested that you give them a try, but I can't really remember now. So I guess I'll pester you about it now!

    They're called Strange Aeons and Nerves of Steel, and the latest versions are on my site (click my name). I might've mentioned Strange Aeons before, back when it was unfinished. It's finished now, so if you downloaded it before, you'll wanna update.

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    1. i know that you did request strange aeons, and while i had it on my radar, i did not add it to the massive request list. both it and nerves of steel are now up there

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    2. Ah, good, then I did mention it. For a while there I thought I was hallucinating again...

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  36. There are no more wads from 2015 stated as 'ready to post' yet quite a few that should probably get a look in time for the annual Dec 10 celebrations.

    The Warlock's Hearth
    PCCP2
    50 Monsters
    Monument
    The Last Sanctuary
    Hellish Lab of Barons

    I know who I am but really I think these should not just be niffed from the selection when picking out the year's best wads.

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  37. Is there a reason your 'happy holidays' remark in the itinerary links to my post just above this one?

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  38. In mobile view on your blog the front page now contains much more text from each review than it used to & the text just cuts off at a random spot (not the end of a sentence). Is this change intentional? Anyways I hope for another good Doom year in 2016!

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    1. i am guessing that blogger changed whatever the default presentation was for the mobile view, and which I have exercised zero control over, but i probably should.

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    2. okay, after the bare minimum of horsing around, i changed it so that mobile users get the desktop layout.

      Delete
  39. I know who I am of course but am getting scared that every comment I put on the TZ2 review just disappears. I really am getting worried that this sudden slew of all old wads when new ones are still sitting around, and the removal of large sections of the Itinerary, is some kind of bad sign for the future of this blog. I'd highly appreciate a response, at least a brief one just to inform what's going on. I know I may be a big pest but I love this blog and thank you for the hard work you put in to it! I hope it still has plenty of time left to go.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. a) your comments are being selectively flagged as spam, which does not delete them but moves them to a place where i can ignore them.
      b) between working on the cacowards, actual work, and some very stressful personal matters, i have not had a whole lot of time to play much of anything, let alone newstuff. i have a mostly written review of the warlock's hearth but have not had the wherewithal to put the finishing touches on it as of yet.
      c) i hid the itinerary and set up an alternate itinerary page because you were harassing me about what you could see on it. i am under no obligation to be completely up to date on everything that's cool in 2015, or the upcoming 2016. that's why there's more than one person on the crew. the idea that me not having played monument or NOVA 2 or 50 monsters or whatever condemned them to a lack of a cacoward you may think they rightly deserved denies any agency to the rest of the people that voiced their opinions.
      d) those "old" reviews are requests from living, breathing people that have been sitting in a queue, some for probably more than six months, while i did the 2015 world tour.
      e) your pestering is about the biggest thing that makes this feel more like a job than a fun hobby. i don't mind if you have something to say about whether you liked or disliked something, but "advising" me on what I ought to do is pretty much the worst approach, and makes me regret opening up the request article in the first place. just stop trying to direct the pace of the blog. i'll probably disable all comments long before i stop posting entirely.

      Delete
  40. I think I will just stop posting...unless it's very specifically on a wad review page and related to that wad, or to point out a site bug. I'd rather just be one who reads and enjoys the content over continuing to be a PITA.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I updated the Strange Aeons and Nerves of Steel mods recently, so you'll wanna make sure you have the latest versions if you already downloaded them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had the 3.5 version when I did my playthrough. I will probably send you an "advance" copy of the review (tinyurl link to the blogger preview) sometime later today rather than make you wait almost a month tho

      Delete
  42. Replies
    1. now that it's out, I'll eventually get around to it, along with the current iteration of the mod, since it seems like a good snapshot

      Delete
    2. Not to mention the madness that is Project Brutality.

      Delete
    3. per marcos, he doesn't even consider the "starter pack" as a final release, which i suspected due to its glut of freedoom content. I think i'll be giving this one a pass until extermination day. not sure about project brutality - i don't like reviewing stuff that's in such a constant state of flux since it seems more like a development snapshot.

      Delete
    4. I know that feel, every new version invalidates my saves :(

      Delete
    5. Also I was under the impression that Extermination Day is the Starter Pack. The screenshots on the moddb page come from the SP.

      Delete
    6. https://www.doomworld.com/vb/post/1544065

      "I personally wouldn't want to have the Starter Pack being nominated for the Cacowards. The project is not finished, it's just a rushed "demo" of Extermination Day with edited FreeDoom maps stuffed on it, and many of it's assets and maps will not make up to the final product, so I would prefer not having my work being judged by an incomplete sample."

      Delete
  43. So you decided to review the original Doom iwads too (Doom/Ultimate Doom so far)? That's pretty neat TBH. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yeah, given that i have my sights set on stuff like wonderful doom and switcheroom and 2002, it seems only right to lay a foundation of comparison, even though most people will already have their own very strong ideas about the original mapset and TFC

      Delete
  44. Oh yea I just remembered a certain megawad by the name of Doom 3: Mr Smiley Head Safar. Did you play it? it is something to behold.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Guess not. Maybe its better that way. D3:MSHS is insanity incarnate.

      Delete
  45. Is Bloodstain too much for you? Haven't cleared it yet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i like to keep a buffer of reviews so that i can regularly publish reviews while working on stuff like megawads. I burned through my buffer during the end of february and march while I was working an outage, so i am reviewing Chris Hansen maps as fast as circumstances allow, building up my buffer again before going back to Bloodstain. i'm not stuck, i just haven't touched it since MAP07

      Delete
    2. Pipicz!? Are we talking about that certain Pipicz who contributed to Plutonia 2? I gotta see that for sure.

      Delete
    3. the very same, though i've only played his one level from Zones of Fear, a Dark Dome homage

      Delete
  46. I just checked the plutonia2 readme, according to it, PL2 contains Pipicz's first ever publically released map, in slot 21. He was also co-author of two of the other maps as well. Might not be relevant for your review, but perhaps it's worth checking out at some point for the sake of comparison.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i'll probably mention it, but i have a different scheme to get me to playing plutonia, that looks something like deus vult --> kama sutra --> plutonia 2, with deus vult ii v1 thrown in there either before or after

      Delete
    2. That is a lot to plow through. I am looking forward to each and every one of those reviews.

      Delete
  47. You should play Unhinged. It's an incredible and legitimately disturbing level by the same guy who made Beyond Reality.

    (apparently you can't edit comments)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yeah it's been on the list for awhile... i'll probably clean up some of the older requests after I throttle out more of 2016

      Delete
  48. Sorry to bother you with this. It isn't even that important but I saw that A_Core.wad is listed under Ultimate Doom while I believe it is for Doom II. Just wanted to let you know..

    Keep up the good work. This site is amazing. Please don't ever stop!

    Thnx

    ReplyDelete
  49. I asked this under a review earlier, but it wasn't relevant to the map so I figured I'd repost it here: do you play Quake maps by any chance? Not looking for reviews or anything, just curious! The scene isn't as active as Doom's but is still alive and kicking, and producing some pretty awesome stuff! I'd say Doom's mechanics and weapons are just a little bit tighter and better-designed, and Doomguy's high running speed probably gives Doom a higher skill ceiling (it's probably impossible to replicate slaughter-style mapping in Quake, for example, not that there aren't Quake mappers who are fond of brutal horde combat), but the kind of insanely detailed, vertical, interconnected levels put out by the Quake scene can't be beat (except maybe by Thief mappers).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. nah, i don't play quake maps. while i would love to, i am more or less beholden to doom atm

      Delete
    2. That's fair. If you ever get the time and inclination, I'd say check out Arcane Dimensions--probably the best Quake mod/level pack that community has produced to date.

      Delete
  50. Check out Trump Doom, its something to behold. Especially on SJW difficulty.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Hi! May I ask you about review for my map "Infested Outpost"? https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/g-i/ioutpost. Also you may look at screenshots here http://imgur.com/a/TQNG7

    ReplyDelete
  52. I'm interested in seeing you review Bloody Rust, if you're thinking about it, otherwise it's something I'd like to make a suggestion for you to review sometime. You're my favorite Doom wad reviewer. ^_^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you very much! bloody rust is definitely on A List.

      Delete
  53. I have just finished played the Doom Tribute. It turns Doom 1 and 2 into a coherent narrative with many homages for the original game. The encounter design is not amazing (way too many cannon fodder tier enemies) but the re-imagined levels are fairly neat. You should give it a try if you have time time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. this and TOTLM4, which was released in the interim, are both on my radar. I want to bang out Doomworld's Top 10 of 2001, though, and maybe 2002 after before really digging in to all the recent stuff i've missed out on.

      Delete
  54. Glad you're making progress with the site maintenance after the imgur disaster.

    I don't know if you were ever planning to cover Project Einherjar, but I'm in the process of adding two more episodes, for a total of five. If you do plan to give it a review, the 5-episode version will hopefully be done in early April. Hoping I'll even get a new set of arms for the protagonist, but we'll see. Do you want me to keep you updated on Doomworld?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I'm good not getting reminders on recent stuff for now.

      Delete
  55. I would like to ask... As a person who wrote hundreds and hundreds of map descriptions, do you have any advice on how to make one's writing more interesting and varied? For example, do you sometimes struggle to come up with something new to say that you haven't already said about many other wads before? Maybe at times you feel like you're repeating similar sentences. After all, lots of wads kind of imitate each other and I think it's not always easy to find enough unique moments to comment on. How do you deal with that?

    -memfis

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not ignoring this comment but after thinking of a reply, it turned out to be more involved than I imagined, and I haven't had a lot of free time to just hammer out something that appears to be approaching an article in and of itself. I swear that I have something in the works, though.

      Delete
    2. Haha awesome, sounds intriguing!

      -memfis

      Delete
  56. So two years later, the Brutal Doom Starter Pack is getting finalized and touched up as the Extermination Day campaign. And Project Brutality is going to get its own 12 level megawad called Black Mass. From the demo, the PB one seemed a lot less enjoyable, but that was only one level. Probably not even the first one. But it does have a few scripted events.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am looking forward to see what Mark cooked up for the finished megaWAD. I really enjoyed his 200 Minutes of /vr/ level.

      Delete
  57. Wow. I just stumbled upon your blog here. What a treasure. Nice hard work you have put into this site. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  58. There was a megawad where one of the levels had a gimmick to them: you entered a teleporter to play the map upside down, do you remember which one was that? I think it was covered on this site.

    Also Extermination Day, aaaaany second now. Much to my surprised, the Starter Pack levels are almost all playable with Hideous Destructor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am pretty sure that this is Eli Cohen's "Degravitation" from the fatally flawed Interception (MAP31).

      Delete
    2. I think it was another one, you play both upside down sides of the map, switching with a teleporter. Also Im fairly sure it was not a secret level, but it was ages ago, you might be right.

      Delete
    3. I believe I have the right of it now - the map is from Icaurs: Alien Vanguard, and it's "WarTemple", MAP20 by Rand Phares.

      Delete
    4. Indeed. Man that megawad aged bad.

      Delete
  59. Are you going to review Adventures of Square ep 2?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not a matter of IF but a question of WHEN

      Delete
  60. I know that you have tons of other stuff on deck to review already, but at some point would you be up for reviewing my latest pwad? It's a single level for Chex Quest, so it's a definite departure from my normal output. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a lot easier to slot in since it's a single level and not part of the Multitude of MegaWADs so I will squeeze it in after I finish playing Legacy of Heroes. I'll probably have to send you an "advance" copy via PM on doomer.boards given that it won't be posted for a few months.

      Delete
    2. Works for me!

      Delete
  61. I tried Ultimate Torment and Torture. Its alright. Very Quake 2y.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Any interest in giving the GEC PlayStation Doom: Master Edition a try? You'll have to put away your silly ZDoom and bust out the PS1 (or PSP, or emulator) to give that a whirl though.

    But it's worth it to see just how good that team of mappers (my biased self included) could make those maps run on that very, very limited hardware.

    There's still some updates yet to be had as well, so now's as good a time as any to jump in. :)

    https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/101161-gec-master-edition-psx-doom-for-the-playstation-31102018-beta-2-released-now-incluiding-nrtfl-levels/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope that I don't come across as rude when I say that this is the sort of project that I'm least interested in. I'm not at all passionate about Playstation Doom; I'm far more likely to play an original mapset that was conceived for the port than conversions, not to belittle the work involved in remodeling everything. Particularly the NRTFL stuff, which I haven't played yet.

      Delete
  63. will you ever review neodoom?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ideally, yeah. Daniel is a Brazilian mapping powerhouse, though, and published what look to be more than 100 maps before expanding his original NeoDoom into the divisive megaWAD we know today. I have quite a bit of Doom that I want to chip away at before confronting his immense legacy.

      Delete
  64. Brutal Doom v21 is finally released, you might want to take a quick glance at the map enhancement system. It mostly stands out in the city maps of Doom 2. Now waiting on the Extermination Day map pack...

    ReplyDelete
  65. Thanks for keeping the Doom modding scene alive by provding run-downs of new WADs.

    I've returned after a 20+ year absence, and it would be great if my recently released 10 level Doom 2 wad got a look.

    The WAD is called "DK Shrine - Remastered".

    Thanks
    https://www.moddb.com/mods/dk-shrine-remastered

    ReplyDelete
  66. Hello! Love this site! I don't know if you've played dethcity.wad or not, but I made it a long time ago and would love to have it reviewed (I know it's nothing special, haha).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K87P07bMzPs

    ReplyDelete
  67. I hope you're well. There haven't been any updates to the itinerary in a while, and I'm hoping that you're just taking a break from Doom. Which wouldn't be surprising at all.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Hey man, I think everybody has already said this but: I love your reviews. They both offer a deep look into the wads itself and are pretty fun to read. I hope you keep you work up and everythings okey. Best of wishes.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Hey, I hope I don't bother you too much, but I was hoping to see if you could do a review of MINDPRISON PROJECT, which has an 11-map demo right now along with a Kickstarter campaign here: http://jmaa.tv/mindprison-project

    ReplyDelete
  70. Thank you for taking the time to write this astonishing web log. I've just discovered it (which is odd, as I'm a Doom / Doom II fanatic from back when it was new), and my eyes are popping out of my head. Phenomenal job!!
    Chris Federico

    ReplyDelete
  71. Im trying Unexpected Retro Experience. It certainly is something! Doom 1 stuff and theres nowhere near enough ammo on UV but the secrets within secrets stuff reminds me of No End in Sight.

    ReplyDelete
  72. This site is a little confusing. How do I request a review?

    ReplyDelete
  73. I realise the Cacowards exist, but I think it would be great if you were to put together a "best of the best" list of your own. Your favourite WADs, your favourite mods - an easy to digest list of the stuff you'd have no reservation wholeheartedly recommending to anyone. There's a ton of content on your blog, but as you don't give any kind of score in your reviews there's no easy way to sort or filter the best from the mediocre.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One of my many pipe dreams is something like this but it is meant to highlight WADs that I thought were exemplary in a particular category rather than do something like, well, recommend Sunlust in the same breath, much the same way as people told newcomers who had just finished Doom II to play Hell Revealed back in the old days. I wrote up a lot of a list that was mainly meant to WOW players insofar as how I felt the selected PWADs pushed at the limits of what we all thought was possible for Doom at one time or another - its "maximum potential". It's always been a rainy day project, though, which meant that it was well on its way to never being completed. Here is the list, without commentary (which does exist). Lest anyone forget, it is based solely off of PWADs that I've played, and if I played it then I almost unilaterally had reviewed it. Hopefully by looking at the list you can get a feel for what I am trying to select for. It's cheekily titled "WOW! - THE WORD YOU WILL SAY AFTER PLAYING THIS", after Jon Landis's E1M8 replacement.

      ZDCMP2
      The Adventures of Square
      Aliens TC
      All Hell is Breaking Loose
      Ancient Aliens
      Assault on Chextropolis
      B/\|_||-|/\|_|s
      Back to Saturn X (E1 and E2)
      Batman Doom
      Breach
      Brigandine
      The City of the Damned
      Comatose
      Community Chest 4
      Cyberdreams
      dead.wire
      dead.air
      Deus Vult
      Doom 64
      Equinox
      Going Down
      Doom: The Golden Souls
      Hellbound
      Hellscape
      Impossible: A New Reality
      The Inquisitor III
      Invasion... 2: Upper Decks
      Japanese Community Project
      lilith.pk3
      Mandrill Ass Project
      Monster Hunter Ltd. (Part 1 and 2)
      Mouldy Old Void
      Nihility: Infinite Teeth
      Osiris
      Phobia
      Pinnacle of Darkness
      Pirate Doom!
      Planisphere 2
      The Gateway Experiments: Prime Directive
      Putrefier
      Reconstruction/Decomposition
      Reelism
      Shadows of the Nightmare Realm
      Sigil
      Skulldash
      Star Wars: Chibi Rebellion
      Strange Aeons
      Sunlust
      UAC Ultra
      Unhinged
      Void
      Void and Rainbow
      Voodoo Guns
      Warp House
      Waterlab GZD
      Winter's Fury
      You Dig

      Looking at my notes at the bottom I have some reservations about items on this list and it's still by no means complete. There are a bunch of things that I played over the last couple of years I was active (like Counterattack, Phobos: Anomaly Reborn, Rise of the Wool Ball, etc.) and some other things like Unloved that simply slipped past me when I first made it and started the writeups.

      Delete
    2. For additional clarification - this isn't the only list, it's just the only category that I've really fleshed out. It's more or less descended from something Scuba Steve said during one of the Cacowards sessions - and I'm paraphrasing here - that the Cacowards should highlight stuff to draw in people who weren't excited about the prospect of playing Still More Doom.

      Delete
  74. erikandersson91@hotmail.comSeptember 13, 2023 at 3:25 PM

    (Asked this on your latest review as well, but wanted to add my email in case)

    Is there a way to download your whole website to keep as an archive in case something ever happens, I can see myself reading these for fun far in the future :)

    (erikandersson91@hotmail.com)

    ReplyDelete