SubP:AR (PAR.WAD)

When I hunkered down to look into Phobos: Anomaly Reborn I learned one of the community's best-kept secrets. There are four other levels contained within PAR.WAD, occupying E2M5-E2M8. They constitute the stealth release of SubP:AR, a collection of outtakes from Christopher's Inferno period (1997-1999). The author originally intended to make Lutz-ified reimaginations of Knee Deep in the Dead and The Shores of Hell, too, but he joined up with The Chaos Crew and these levels fell by the wayside. While he eventually got around to Phobos (and, though incomplete, Deimos) it was with a few good years of authorial experience under his belt. I don't know whether these were necessarily designed for BooMBF but it was probably the last port that Chris used to test them. I'm reviewing them separately from P:AR in spite of being contained in the same PWAD because I don't want to bloat Reborn's review and I'd like to give these curiosities their time in the sun.

Inferno didn't explicitly evoke id's original episode in either its level design or implied story. Three of SubP:AR's entries draw considerably more inspiration from the concepts of their original slots. Not by echoing id's layouts, of course, but by more realistically portraying the world that the original levels were supposed to represent. E2M5 was originally the Knee Deep in the Dead remake's E1M1 and does indeed look like a hangar. It has several aircraft storage bays as well as a cargo transport rail. E2M6 kicked off The Shores of Hell as E2M1. It ties the episodes together by resembling the sort of research facility that you would expect to find after taking the gateway from Phobos to Deimos. Plus a bunch of malefic modifications. E2M8, of course, has a tower though it isn't a gargantuan structure.

"Temple Consumed" (E2M7) is the odd one out and I would guess that it is probably the oldest of the set. It's an outtake from Lutz's Inferno and was cut for invoking the dreaded visplane overflow. The level was intended to serve as the secret one but it has a dirt simple layout and generally lacks his 1998 !WOW!-factor. I can see the raw elements of the episode in there. The red rock tunnel side-areas remind me of his E3M1, for instance, and the Nine Inch Nails tribute smacks of his sector art Easter Eggs. It's perfunctory in a way where the other elements of SubP:AR aren't, though, so it's interesting to see him recommend it over the others.

E2M5 and E2M6 are both in the same general architectural style, a relatively utilitarian man-made complex. It's a look that is also shared by Inferno's E3M7 and, down the road, "Lava Processing" from Caverns of Darkness. One of the main aesthetic differences is in the mundanity of the equipment seen in "Hangar". The other three have a mix of computers and infernal machinery. Whether the contraptions were designed / co-opted by fiendish forces or built specifically by the UAC varies between each setting. CoD's take remains my favorite due to the strong sense of place instilled by the facility's facade and how much there is to explore, eventually reaching the end of the elevated rail line. Inferno's E3M7 begins in an outdoor area but it is interior to the rest of the level and functionally indistinguishable from the following rooms. E2M5 and E2M6 bridge the gap between Lutz circa 1998 and 2002 by enshrining the installations in explorable exterior spaces that make them feel more like actual locations.

E2M8 takes advantage of this same quasi-realism by making the Tower of Babel a structure for you to both see and approach from the outside. This is nice for the folks who didn't get a lot out of the original's boss arena approach. Its combat leading up to the final confrontation is the meatiest of the SubP:AR (including a couple of "The Descent"-style elevator fights). The actual battle is incredibly awkward, though, due to the player's limited and obstructed movement space. It's also easy to make it inside the tower without having the rocket launcher or plasma gun, creating a nigh-impossible scenario. E2M7 has a different balancing problem in that all of the ammo is there but entering the final spoke effectively seals off the others, preventing you from clearing out the stragglers. You'll have to use infighting and fisting if you want to purge this outpost of demonic taint.

I'm glad that Lutz got over his embarrassment at having these stylistic ancestors. It's interesting to think of the might-have-beens. Or, in the case of E1M1, what actually was since Chris finished his Episode One dream in a more flexible source port feature set. None of these outings compare to the excruciating artifice seen in Caverns of Darkness but they may appeal to the contingent of players who constantly bemoan Doom II's abstract level design.

SUBP:AR

by Christopher Lutz

Hangar

E2M5

This is one of the most hangar-like levels that I've ever played. It's an interesting look since some of the sector-vehicles (especially the drone-style personal vehicle) carried into Caverns of Darkness. Lots of realism for people who hate abstract level design. A rail runs through the whole thing as well as several forklifts, one of which had its driver slain while in the process of lifting. It's clearly a shipping / receiving center. The cranes to the south remind me of the northern outside area from CoD's MAP01. It's very light action and almost entirely against zombies and imps. I think that the electrified rail is the most dangerous thing in the map.

E2M6

Deimos Anomaly

I imagine that people wouldn't be quite as pissed at Inferno if it had started with something like this. The opening scene is pretty ominous since you're at the other end of the gateway with all of the personnel slaughtered. The base shows signs of battle damage and slaughter but better resembles the infernal machinery levels of late Inferno. Just, uh, with different experiments like a lavawheel (instead of water). There's a lot of cool stuff going on including a minor teleporter wave. The action is pretty light but the Berserk pack is an important pickup as there is not enough ammo to decisively clear everything on your own. It's a neat coda to Lutz's 1998 style.

Temple Consumed

E2M7

This feels like a really old Lutz level. Which it is, since it was the original secret map for Inferno. Its layout is a cardinal direction hub and feels simplistic compared to the rest of the episode. There is no interconnection between areas apart from the doors that bind them.  The ammo balance is weirdly tuned. You have all of the cells and rockets needed to kill the Barons, cacodemons, etc. but the plasma gun isn't found until the penultimate fight. This makes the energy ammo leading in basically worthless. The chapel confrontation is decent, I think. Visual setpieces are the map's true showcases, from the exit room to the Nine Inch Nails tribute to an author shrine.

E2M8

Tower of Babel

A pretty direct take on the climax of The Shores of Hell. The titular structure has a small army outside to guard it and a couple of elevator fights as you rise up to the top level. Most of the action is a fun blastathon but you'll want to make sure that you thoroughly explore the exterior before barging inside. Otherwise you'll miss the rocket launcher and plasma gun and find yourself underpowered against the tower's guardians. And, worse, its steward. The Cyberdemon showdown is way harder than the original because the battleground is so much smaller. It's easy to soak up splash damage or get hung up on a column and eat a rocket. Patience is key.

JERRY, THIS WAD IS SUBP:AR