DICKIE07 (DICKIE07.WAD)

DICKIE07
by Richard Wiles

The DICKIE series consists of ten maps released for Doom II in 1998 by Richard Wiles. DICKIE07 is the seventh map in the sequence, uploaded to the archives right as April rolled over to May. The beginning of the series, DICKIE01, portrayed some spacefaring entity touching down on a planet inhabited by demons, intending to purify it. After killing the enemy leader right off the bat, you spend the rest of the levels gallivanting around the world, scourging it of all the hangers-on. DICKIE07's theme is a green marble fortress with lots of (non-toxic) blood, with some dark gray brick areas and computer terminals (the last found chiefly in the western area, Wiles's favorite section of the map). With the orange sky, he's kind of got a Thy Flesh Consumed theme going on.

I singled out the previous map for being tough; the follow-up is as difficult, if not more so. Grabbing the essential shotgun will trigger a wave of monsters that force you out and into some commando crossfire to grab the SSG, afterward dealing with cacos and other things constantly attacking. The large red key area is full of snipers that you'll want to take your time to deal with, especially since your chaingun will have to be pried from the hands of the enemy. And, well, he's got a pretty good Cyberdemon fight that's intense without being frustrating, as lost souls drip into the battle room, demanding respect as you dodge the Cyber's rockets.

Wiles uses a lot of level geometry to simulate three-dimensional movement, much like DICKIE05, but without the confusion. There's a section with a bridge made out of stacked walls you used for cover on the lower tier of combat, tiny bumps to assist the player in leaping over the blood channel, and a daring leap into the unknown to reach the blood tunnels leading to the yellow key battle. I think there could have been a bit more health laying around (not counting that late secret megasphere), but the player isn't wanting for ammo at any point once he or she reaches the arachnotron room, loaded with shells.

I'm happy to say that DICKIE07 is the most polished map in the set so far. There's a lot of nice architecture, like the red key area or the Cyberdemon arena, and texture alignment is for the most part impeccable. I didn't even notice anything amiss until I took a second stroll through his Hellish wonderland. Wiles has here an excellent Episode 4 style map for Doom II that should prove a decent challenge to most Doomers. As you probably expect, I recommend it alongside the rest of the DICKIE series.

This post is part of a series on
Richard Wiles's DICKIE series

DICKIE01	DICKIE02	DICKIE03	DICKIE04
DICKIE05	DICKIE06	DICKIE07	DICKIE08
	DICKIE09	DICKIE10