Mayhem 1500 (MAYHEM15.WAD)

Every May since 2012 Doomworld community members have gotten together in an attempt to make a megaWAD in a month. It isn't polished and finalized by June, though, and it might not even be finished during the same year. The 2015 session followed in the grand tradition of MAYHEM13 insofar as it wasn't released until 2016. It is also the second of the projects to reach the symbolic status of a full game replacement, occupying MAP01-MAP32 with additional bonus levels in the MAP33 and MAP34 slots. MAYhem 1500, like its forebears, is meant to be played in a Boom-compatible source port. If you play it in something that supports a brand of MAPINFO, though, then the secret levels will transition smoothly into the extra stuff.

The story involves something called the "Cronus Drive" which I imagine has the same nebulous purpose as Plutonia's original Quantum Accelerator. You're some hard-up test subject looking to earn an extra buck by testing out a new device by one Dr. Rubik. The effects were supposed to last for 1500 cycles, an arbitrary unit that the professor blows off by guesstimating a period lasting a few hours. Instead, however, it plunged you into an interminable adventure across space and time. On the one hand, the mad scientist's cavalier attitude toward your own safety has you wanting to throttle him if you ever return. On the other, you're hopeful about being compensated in order to make your rent payment. Ah, decisions.

Each of these iterations has an associated theme and, after the 2012, a specific limitation. This year's texture scheme was a compilation of Gothic resources. The restriction: 1500 linedefs. The value ensures that authors either render a very small level with tons of detailing or a large map composed of simpler geometry. It allows a little more freedom in the shape and flow when compared to MAYhem 2048 since the latter limited the absolute size of the playing space. I was relieved coming into the 2015 iteration because I knew that few if any people would be trying to go Broadway and craft epic journeys. This is generally the case and most of these levels are between short and medium length.

A few folks still tried, of course. Demonologist's "Solace of the Shadows" (MAP29) is one of the major outliers as it's a difficult slaughtermap that features exactly 1500 monsters. When it comes to authors who managed to drag the most out of what they were given, my hat is off to Marcaek. "1500 BC" (MAP10) feels and plays like an enormous adventure. "Benedictine Convulsions" (MAP31), by Obsidian, will likely take a long time if you're not a Berserk-punching savant. Most of the level pits you against meaty monsters, intending for you to either fist them to death or blast them with what few rockets that you are given. NuMetalManiak's (formerly Getsu Fune's) "Isolation Game" (MAP33) was probably stuffed into the bonus levels because it has absolutely no combat. Pressing the wrong button will consign you to an agonizing, melting death. It runs directly counter to players' typical expectations regarding Doom.

Fraize has one of the most notable solo inclusions but he's also the project MVP. TheMionicDonut hosted things as usual but Marcaek had to take the reigns in order to see MAYhem 1500 to its conclusion. He also has three co-credits on levels - two alongside an_mutt and one with AD_79 - so his influence feels stronger than any of the other authors. Pinchy comes close, though. Ol' Skree has three levels, two of which are thematically joined as a one-two punch. It isn't often that someone pulls off a mini-adventure inside a community-sourced megaWAD. While it isn't nearly as flashy as lupinx-Kassman's contributions to CCHEST4, "The Way to Jadeamir" (MAP25) and your subsequent arrival at MAP26 leave a lasting impression.

Demonologist has the biggest slaughtermap but he hasn't cornered the market. Breezeep's "Sleep With the Fishes" (MAP27) makes overtures toward the aesthetic, gameplay, and setting of Ribbiks's Swim With the Whales. It's more about the color combinations, though, as Kelly's congested action is nonetheless not nearly as exacting of the player. Archi and ArmouredBlood each twist you into uncomfortable positions in "Rancid Redeemer" (MAP23) and "Merciless" (MAP28), respectively. The authors present relatively humble beginnings but they're followed by hyperbolic, claustrophobic firefights. Phobus's "Monument of Pain" (MAP22) is a mid-tier slaughter outing with a big finish. It's an interesting contrast when compared to his similarly disc-shaped "Sacrificial Circle" (MAP16). The latter is one of several homages to John Romero's work found within the megaWAD and the second to specifically invoke Doom II's "Circle of Death".

The other is Inkie's "You Are Worshipping a Sun God" (MAP14), an adventure level that involves a submarine and a visit to a hidden island temple. Daimon rounds out the references courtesy of the cheekily-titled "Too Many Homages" (MAP15). It's a complex weave of Knee Deep in the Dead elements - some relatively obvious when compared to others - in a labyrinthine layout. It's more fun to play than it sounds. Walter actually opens the set up with some DoomCute in his "No Mayhem!" (MAP01), doubly so since the medieval-looking warehouse has an office that sports a personal computer. Impie took some time out of his busy schedule making TCs and mods to forge "Castle Bathory" (MAP06). It's a puzzler set in a mansion and has a few cool secrets to uncover.

The rest of the PWAD is built from consistently punchy gameplay in generally tight layouts. dobu gabu maru showed up at the end of the previous two MAYhem projects with high-density challenging fights. "Prayers in Stone" comes in early at MAP04 but it's still congested and difficult from opening to close. "Euronymous" by Egregor echoes Darryl's level in King's intelligent reuse of his layout while showing Congestion 1024 syndrome in its repeated teleporter-fed incursions. The an_mutt / Marcaek joint "Intersection of Oppression" feels like a larger-scale take on this format. The layout is confusingly dangerous at first, leaving the player unsure as to where to start poking the hornets' nest. Its central area also undergoes an important transformation that ushers in the finale. Fraize's collab with AD_79 - "Scalding Creek" (MAP07) - has a similar metamorphosis but the sprawling layout makes its clever reuse and signposting less brazen.

Hart's solo venture, "1500 AD" (MAP11), reflects his preference for Paul DeBruyne's mild-to-medium projectile Hell gameplay. The player begins each area in an exposed state but has room to move and dodge. Cannonball employs a similar style for "Domain of the Generically Damned" (MAP05) but his level features greater height variation. Both maps feature manic and memorable lock-in brawls as setpieces. "Still More Mayhem" (MAP19), by Urthar, designs an entire level around this sort of encounter. It's one of the slickest levels in the set thanks in part due to the pacing of its first fight. pcorf's and gaspe's outings - "Shi" (MAP08) and "Bond of Blood" (MAP09) - are more traditional in their structure but satisfying all the same. They give the player some big guns and then set you up against beefy beasties so that you can savor the power.

"Venom Canyon" (MAP03) by jmickle is one of my favorites for its spatial sense. Jazz does a great job of taking advantage of Doom's three-dimensional space and makes it challenging to navigate since you can't simply climb up all of the platforms that you can jump down from. Chris Hansen's "Every Which Way But Loose" (MAP12) makes similar but less extensive use of height variation in a more typical layout. "Catastrophe At the Keep of Cape Caco" (MAP30) makes for a different, interesting finale than your typical Icon of Sin shenanigans. Z-collision is pretty important considering that the progression involves running around the castle like a race track in order to get the BFG and an invul sphere. Not that you'd know if you dilly-dally and find yourself getting mobbed by several thousand cacodemons.

It almost feels like Zakurum missed the memo and made a level for MAYhem 2048. It's about 500 units bigger in each dimension but the author crammed the playable area of "Somnolent Keep" (MAP20) into a similarly confined space. CorSair's "Tech Center I-267" (MAP13) is by comparison much more expansive. The huge scale - and especially the northern area - reminds me of the imperial architecture of Star Wars or as far as PWADs go Michael Krause's style. Impboy put out a decent sewer level with "The Silencer" (MAP02). Ammo is tight but for a relatively late secret and it pits you against some beefy opponents. joe-ilya has two levels, both of which are amusingly placed after Obsidian's pain train. "Art of Suffering" (MAP32) is definitely my favorite of the two and has a nice, open-air city style brawl. "Isle of the Descendents" (MAP34) comes loaded with painful hitscanner snipers and fences that make it tough to see either projectiles or zombies. If the first one had a beach then they could have swapped the titles around!

The Gothic theme is hard to tease out sometimes. I feel as though there is some overlap between TNT's RETRES, which featured in MAYhem 2048, and Nick Baker's compilation for 1500. It would  feel like a sequel but for the former's restriction on the size of the playing space grid. The set as a whole isn't relentlessly black regardless of whatever the megaWAD's subtitle implies. The earthy tones are really groovy and the authors put in a lot of work to make sure that the levels look sharp. If the designers tended to sacrifice any particular type of detailing then lightcasting appears to be it, and understandably so. Not everyone abandoned more intricate sector lighting, though, Paul Corfiatis especially.

It's interesting to see the evolution of project contributors. This is the first community mapset I've seen in a long time where I've actually played at least one thing from every author prior to review. A whopping seventeen participants (approximately two thirds) are MAYhem alumni and all of them except for Christopher Shepherd were in the previous 2048. Walter Confalonieri is oddly enough the only common thread since the 2012 edition but three of the eight involved - Daimon, Matt Powell, and James Cresswell - also appear here. I've looked ahead to 2016, though, and I know that some of these streaks are about to vanish into the ether. The other ten contributors are brand new but most of them are among the community's best and brightest.

MAYhem 1500 is a rock solid PWAD. It's great for a relatively fast and fun play and the later levels even have something for slaugther fans to dig their teeth into. If there's any doubt about who loves you then take a look at how the most difficult maps have been hobbled on the lowest difficulty settings in order to accommodate less-skilled players. The excruciating setups become delicious arcade action provided that you're willing to turn the difficulty slider down yourself. I'm glad to see TMD's baby survive its awkward adolescence. I'm already wondering what crazy stuff they'll come up with for 2019.

MAYHEM 1500

BLACK LIKE MY SOUL

by various authors

No Mayhem!	MAP01
by Walter "Daimon" Confalonieri
Not a bad start. It looks like some sort of warehouse / castle hybrid. Using the gothic / medieval textures and making an office with a laptop sort of confuses the issue, though. It's one of the better-looking Walter levels that I've played. In recent memory, anyway. The architecture is simple but works and you get a couple of curved staircase, one tall and one squat. Combat is a nice warm-up but gets pretty serious for a MAP01 with the ugly Berserk ambush.

MAP02	The Silencer
by Chris "Impboy" Harriman
	A solid if underwhelming trek through what basically amounts to a long hallway. Ammo is pretty tight early on so infighting will help you out. At least until you reach the totally overstuffed shell / bullet / Berserk secret. Racing to the SSG might help, too. There are a considerable number of hardbodies of the revenant / Hell knight / mancubus classes. I initially laughed at the optional sewer leg but it adds some depth to the layout.

Venom Canyon	MAP03
by Jazz "jmickle" Mickle
Dark, dingy metal with sickly green fluids. This level is fantastic. There is a ton of height variation and the lifts are snappy to quickly move you between elevations. The layout is quite cerebral due to both this and the different directions you can explore in. Some of it involves jumping down to places where you can't simply back out. All the interconnected spaces makes for a hairy sniper start but the real meat is in the key sections. I love the snap elevator trap sequence to the southeast, it's tough but simple. The hard part is the cluster brawl for the blue key but it should be easy if you explore your way to the plasma gun beforehand. Very cool.

MAP04	Prayers in Stone
by Darryl "dobu gabu maru" Steffen
	This is a very cool underground temple. It has the look of a structure that collapsed into the earth but remained mostly intact. I get this impression primarily from the blighted trees. The detailing is quite nice. The level is a bit cramped but it's the way that Steffen leverages difficulty in a map which isn't as characteristically ball-busting. All of the more open spaces have large pools of dubiously damaging liquid. It's a real attrition-based threat, particularly when the delayed hot start sends you scrambling into the darkly dangerous periphery. I kept waiting for the other foot to drop and while it eventually did it's not quite as bad as I thought it would be. The claustrophobia comes into play in an even larger way, though, since you're given the rocket launcher as your weapon of choice. I love that the player ascends from the lowest level up through the previous blue key shrine.

Domain of the Generically Damned	MAP05
by Matt "cannonball" Powell
Stone, blood, and wood. The opening is a pressure cooker. The revenant overwatch can't be cleared, there are hitscanners on your main path, and the snipers to the west are eager to get involved. It's much faster to sort of sprint down the track and rush the combat shotgun. The resulting ambush is way more fun than trying to systematically pick your way through its approach. The cacodemons who wander in after add a neat twist. The other big fight is an outdoor blood tornado. It's complicated by a pain elemental on the upper tier that you'll be desperate to reach and clear. Great atmosphere.

MAP06	Castle Bathory
by Mike "Impie" MacDee
	In some ways this reminds me of the author's update of his Derceto. It's a bricked and bloody manse with a few dark secrets. The end goal is to fill a pool full of a sanguine solution so that you can walk across to grab the red key. I feel like you haven't fully overcome the castle's curse, though, unless you recite a Bible verse: "He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light" (Job 12:22). Using so many lines for the relatively large secret wing is definitely appreciated. There's one really big and meaty ambush that's pretty fun to chew through. Nothing super scary, just brawlers like imps, demons, and Hell knights. Cool trick to get 100% kills. I was trying to figure out what the switch / lift was for.

Scalding Creek	MAP07
by Brayden "AD_79" Hart and Michael "Marcaek" Fraize
A pretty badass rocky wilderness level. A river of lava runs through it but you won't spend a lot of time crossing coals!  The front half of the level has a slow, deliberate pacing due to an emphasis on single shotgun play. A Berserk pack will allow people who prefer fisticuffs to punch their way through the first major ambush. The second is much more dangerous since the arch-vile makes his visual debut. Hopefully you didn't burn your rockets on the the upper mancubi. While backtracking is definitely a thing you rarely have too far to go. AD and Marcaek sort of breadcrumb you toward the right direction with color-coded switches. I did not expect the way in which the authors get you to the exit. It was a really cool way to tie the level together.

MAP08	Shi
by Paul "pcorf" Corfiatis
	A gloomy keep going first through its sewers and then to the surrounding yard. It's a very cool level from Paul. The coiling aqueduct unleashes odd groups of monsters as you progress. It also reveals other stony secrets, associated with major ambushes. The yard is a great old-fashioned shootout that gives the player plenty of room to move. Paul affords you a few rad suits because you might want to use the pillars on the outside for cover. Lots of beefy monsters vs. the super shotgun so the pace is fairly slow. This also makes some of the fights - like the second arch-vile - dangerous if not approached quickly or correctly.

Bond of Blood	MAP09
by "gaspe"
A wicked cool brick and metal palace with a couple of tech highlights. The marble slabs look very sharp and the architecture is charming. The combat is super fun because you get the rocket launcher and plasma gun relatively early. gaspe shovels cells and explosives down your throat so you're encouraged to burn through monsters quickly. Your only other real option would be to slowly and painfully grind stuff down with the regular shotgun so enjoy it while it lasts. It's not entirely carefree, though, since the author expertly sneaks a jalapeno into one of the teleporter ambushes.

MAP10	1500 BC
by Michael "Marcaek" Fraize
	A feat of engineering. The author gets a ton of mileage out of the limit of linedefs; "BC" is by far the longest of the levels thus far. It's a great abstract / slayer park level with an ancient ruins theme. I dig the distant step pyramids and mysterious red-ringed monolith. The open level geometry means that you are dodging imp fireballs most of the time. Or the green shit as the case may be. It's a little tough to wrap your head around because you teleport between areas. You don't spend a lot of time on each metaphorical island of action, though. The combat is pretty unforgiving as is Marcaek's wont and features tons of revenants plus arch-vile interjections. It doesn't help that the plasma gun is hid in an obnoxious secret and is only available when transitioning from the first half to the second. It would have made the big cacodemon / revenant ambush toward the end much more fun and less "I gotta break for the teleporter!". The red key water pool is wicked cool, though.

1500 AD	MAP11
by Brayden "AD_79" Hart
A treacherous, waterlogged fortress. AD put his Skillsaw hat on for this one. The snipers feel oppressive - revenants, arachnotrons, and mancubi - and there are a bunch of beasties on the floor to hinder your movement. You can tackle the three keys in any order you like but you're probably more concerned as to where you can find one of the rocket launchers. Several weapons have multiple copies available in the different routes but I wouldn't fool with the east side before purifying the other two. If you're clearing as you go, anyway. The final fight is a crazy rocket-fueled brawl that locks you inside a depression. Imps, shotgun guys, mancubi, and most importantly revenants spawn into the outer areas and make a circle of death. The lost souls are a great addition to the dynamic of the encounter since they're the only ones who can invade your personal space. You can skip getting stuck if you time a straferun just right, though...

MAP12	Every Which Way But Loose
by Chris Hansen
	Christian nails it with a tight, action-packed compound built around an aqueduct. The high / low height variation makes navigating the tiers of combat a treat. The ammo balance feels kind of tight if you tackle the blue armor alcove first but this level has a ton of shells. And a fairly obvious secret path to the plasma gun. You can really cut loose on the surprise arch-viles and other ambushes like the northern store room. For as many toughs as Hansen throws at you, getting started feels as though it is the toughest part. I was confident enough moving on that I made some sloppy mistakes. Very fun stuff.

Tech Center I-267	MAP13
by "CorSair"
An expansive techbase level. The scale sort of reminds me of Michael Krause's stuff. I adore the simple macrotecture of the abstract northern area. I have no idea what's up with the black portal structure or the magma-like panels to the east and west but it's a great, abstract look. Much of the action is slow-paced because you're limited to the shotgun and the chaingun until you get the blue key. Afterward you're stuck using either of these or the rocket launcher against the Cyberdemon. I dunno what sort of stores that you'll have when you enter the control room but they'll likely be meager unless you just rush through the level. I had a tough time in the southwest room with the starburst structures. The two revenants on the inside seemed unnaturally durable.

MAP14	You Are Worshipping a Sun God
by Colt "Inkie" Burton
	A theme map that takes you on a submarine ride and to the inner recess of an island temple. It's a decent adventure and you even get an opportunity to cut loose with the rocket launcher during a slaughter-lite fight. The submersible is DoomCute. The "Circle of Death" hub inside the structure makes for a pretty intense fight based on limited maneuvering space. Working with the chaingun / shotgun inside the submarine feels a bit slow but you're never in any danger of running out of ammo.

Too Many Homages	MAP15
by Walter "Daimon" Confalonieri
Well, yeah. This ostensibly takes place on some sort of offshore base overseeing a drilling platform. It feels pretty good because it cribs heavily from the familiar E1. Nothing is directly copied but some of the more memorable bits are alluded to, especially "Hangar". The layout seems unusually complex for Walter. The various areas feed into each other through multiple different routes and the whole thing slowly opens up as you explore. Most of the combat is light against shareware trash but the author has included a few commandos and Hell knights to spice things up.

MAP31	Benedictine Convulsions
by James "Obsidian" Caldwell
	The atmosphere is superb but the gameplay is highly niche. You'll have to be pretty comfortable Berserk fisting revenants and Hell knights in addition to lighter fare. The big boss encounter is a tight Cyberdemon fight where you at least get to use the rocket launcher. You don't have much margin, though. Continuous players will be considerably better off. I loved the moment where the glowing skulls are revealed. The library stand-in for the arena is great; I dig the disorienting spirit tunnels. It reminds me of the weirder portions of Impossible. Very cool and fairly tough.

Art of Suffering	MAP32
by Ilya "joe-ilya" Lazarev
Rocky caves give way to a small outdoor "city" section and, confusingly, a chunky railway with a literal boxcar. The opening chaingun grind fails to thrill but I love the outdoor segment. The mess of monsters makes for a dynamic combat situation as you search for ammo and try to bump off the big guys. The western side of the river isn't any less tricky though you do get to go nuts with the plasma gun, always a treat. I got surprised by one of the two arch-viles on several occasions. The railway isn't quite as interesting but it's a good exercise. I have a hard time knocking RL / PG vs. beefy mid-tier enemies.

MAP33	Isolation Game
by Olivia "NuMetalManiak" Riley
	The haunting music helps to build an atmosphere of wonder on in this deserted mansion. It's a puzzle level in the vein of a Sierra adventure game. The logic is counter-intuitive since I'm used to looking for the odd one out as a hint. I may be spoiling, here, but this is a quest where the clue is supposed to save your life. Press the wrong switch will cause you to die in poison. If you can avoid the death traps then you'll find it to be a very short outing from start to finish.

Isle of the Descendants	MAP34
by Ilya "joe-ilya" Lazarev
A long sort of oceanfront level with a bunch of monsters. Almost 300, to be exact. Health feels to be in short supply, especially when you consider the hitscanner snipers that you'll encounter later on. Or the super dick move arch-vile trap for the red key. Moving around in open spaces is dangerous. The fencing makes it difficult to see projectiles headed your way and also obscures distant zombies. The keep toward the level's end looks cute but its lowly troopers feel dangerous due to their sheer number. Same thing with the cargo barge and its chaingunners.

MAP16	Sacrificial Circle
by James "Phobus" Cresswell
	Another MAP11 tribute. This one is the focus of the level, though. The beginning is all about twisting the player into knots. The center track is stocked with zombies; cacodemons freely roam; and the corners are staffed by revenants. It's not really a "clear as you go" scenario. Things loosen up a bit once you get the rocket launcher, though, and the plasma gun is soon to follow. The most memorable action occurs in the central section but I also enjoyed the atmosphere of the strobing St. Peter's Cross ambush.

Drillbit Compression	MAP17
by "Pinchy"
An arctic drilling rig? This level has a selection of sector machinery that must be manipulated for your benefit. The title appears to refer to the simplest method of handling Pinchy's star encounter but there's at least one other drilling apparatus. The western half is fun for the sheer spectacle but I prefer the eastern segment's combat. The SSG elevator fight is a cool setpiece and the sequence required to nab the red key looks neat.

MAP18	Solemn Outpost
by Michael "Marcaek" Fraize and James "an_mutt" Collins
	An icebound fortress. I wasn't sure how the authors were going to tie this one together with all of the hard to hit enemies in the periphery. They made it work, though. Several of the annexes require you plunge into some Really Cold Water. You get enviro suits for the first go-around but, afterward, you're on your own. Combat starts out awkward since poking your head out into open air provokes an irregular rain of projectiles. The keep guardians are fairly well entrenched, too. I appreciated how all the areas started to connect together after grabbing the red key. Standout encounter, definitely the claustrophobic brawl at the level's southern tip.

Still More Mayhem	MAP19
by Stephen "Urthar" Wadsworth
Wicked cool and combat-focused. This echoes the geometric design of Way 2 Many Dead Guys - specifically hexagons - and consists of wall-to-wall action. The opening is a time-release arena and has one last, little jab at the player later on. The other two battlegrounds are dedicated to the boss monsters. It's pretty easy to turn the Spiderdemon fight toward your favor, even without the invul sphere. The Cyberdemon, not so much. Always be dodging and don't be afraid to use an inhuman shield. "Still More Fighting" from Final Fantasy VII sets a delightful tone.

MAP20	Somnolent Keep
by "Argentum" aka "Zakarum"
	A tight and pretty castle-style level. I didn't bother to open this in a map editor to check but it seems suspiciously like something from Mayhem 2048. It starts out with a fairly relaxed pace and then spends the second half cramming arch-viles down your throat. The last bit has a track around a Cyberdemon that you have to raise in segments. With the plasma gun, though, it's simple enough to methodically grind him down. After you take care of the requisite semi-random teleporter assault, of course. Neat stuff. I like the ascending Hell knight platforms. The end ambush looks imposing, though.

Euronymous	MAP21
by Jeff "Egregor" King
Small but complex Gothic dungeon. It takes place entirely indoors and the author tends toward teleporting monsters to both ends of the layout. This makes for tense, dynamic gameplay since the occasional cheap shot manages to sneak up on you. The majority of the combat encounters rely on congestion to put pressure on the player but I only felt blocked in on one particular occasion. The other big element consists of a complement of hitscanner snipers for which you must keep constant vigil. Architecture is great and features a surprising variety of areas including classic sewers and a pit of acid.

MAP22	Monument of Pain
by James "Phobus" Cresswell
	A bisymmetric slobberknocker of a level. The author puts the rocket launcher in your hand fairly early. You begin to use it to bump off the revenant pillar snipers but before too long it's on to crowds of imps, mancubi, and arachnotrons. The early part of the level moves the slowest since you don't know what to expect and you don't have a lot of safe ground. It gets progressively more knockabout, culminating in a big descending elevator setpiece slaughter battle. I'm anticipating tougher stuff in the final few slots so it's nice see a relatively relaxed level with a higher bodycount.

Rancid Redeemer	MAP23
by Arthur "Archi" O.
Case in point. This starts out looking like a passable orthogonal structure with mild combat. It gets pretty punchy in the blood sewers but the falls give you about adequate cover. Then the author goes full slaughter with a crazy congested Cyberdemon / Hell knight brawl. It exercises your ability to crowd surf and keep drawing the nobles - and difficult-to-see spectres - into infighting. You polishing off the inevitable victors, of course. The last big fight has three steps. The first and most important involves surgically removing the five or so arch-viles. This is easier than it sounds provided that you whip everything into an infighting frenzy to start. An enormous, gaping maw overlooks the exit tower and is a great cosmic horror visual.

MAP24	Intersection of Oppression
by Michael "Marcaek" Fraize and James "an_mutt" Collins
	This level is based around crossroads which are initially patrolled by a Cyberdemon. It's a bit of a hornet's nest at first but all of the major weapons are found relatively quickly. The invaluable BFG comes later though it's tucked into a large, optional wing marked by red brick and cascading blood. There's a brawl at the bottom of a pit that seems especially dangerous since your inclination is to use the rocket launcher. Which wouldn't be a big problem but for the interspersed spectres. The main, central section undergoes a couple of transformations as you play on. The last one is the biggest and sets the scene for the finale. Pretty fun.

The Way to Jadeamir	MAP25
by "Pinchy"
Floating islands in an emerald void. You start off with the chaingun but get a big shake-up early on where you will acquire both the super shotgun and rocket launcher. After navigating arachnotron snipers and a large pack of demons, of course. The combat is cramped and treacherous and restricts player mobility through four different avenues. Sheer flesh is the first and already mentioned. The other three islands use small platforms; tight hallways vs. an arch-vile; and a battlefield littered with barrels. Many of your enemies are tied up in that last bit. It's a nice breather for the third episode.

MAP26	Jadeamir
by "Pinchy"
	Extending the same theme as MAP25, just a bit more focused as it's divided into two platforms instead of five. The author uses a few DoomCute props and they suggest a slight bit of history for this floating kingdom. The castle-like structure has stables - filled with demons, of course - and an open-air smithy. "Jadeamir" has a handful of snipers, infrequent enough to catch you off-guard when your focus slips. The first half of the combat involves awkwardly moving around while you clear monsters and crossing your fingers for the rocket launcher. When you get it, though, you'll be ushering in a tidal wave of invaders. The secret BFG is a must.

Sleep With the Fishes	MAP27
by Justin "Breezeep" Kelly
Cascading blue in the deep darkness. This is a blood gauntlet in an underwater ruin. Your playing space is constantly expanding albeit at the cost of ushering in even more monsters for you to slaughter. The rocket launcher and plasma gun get a ton of time to shine, here, the latter in the more cramped scenarios. Most of the small-scale fights require the player to make snap decisions on where to focus your fire lest you be quickly overwhelmed. The finale has a great opportunity for goading a pair of Cyberdemons to tear up half of the invading force. This way you can retreat to the considerably less crowded opening area and lay down suppression fire with the rocket launcher. By the time you clear stuff out the Cybies ought to be nice and softened up for your plasma gun. A pretty fun slaughter, I think.

MAP28	Merciless
by Christopher "ArmouredBlood" Shepherd
	Chris goes BIG as is his wont. Similar to "Redeemer", the setting is a sort of squat palace / castle thing. The relatively normal-looking opening is quickly undermined by the outer area, which features a horde of revenants opposite a Spiderdemon. AB's brazen monster placement continues throughout and just skirts the edge of ridiculousness. Knowing how to provoke infighting is big but it's even better to know it secrets. The secret BFG is indispensable, of course. The plain-sight invul is even better since it will help you quickly deal with the irregular two Cyberdemon brawl. (If you don't pick up on the telefrag option.) The cavalcade of Hell nobles and arch-viles that awaits near the end feels crazy but it's manageable. I don't know if I've ever seen a setup like it before.

Solace of the Shadows	MAP29
by Vladimir "Demonologist" Bespalov
An enormous slaughter in the void to the tune of 1500. The opening is perhaps the most desperate moment of the entire PWAD. You're hemmed in at every direction with an enormous store of monsters clamoring to reach you from parts beyond. Cutting a path through to the BFG is relatively easy. Surviving the storm until you can finally relax and get to clearing the caged enemies... not so much. The revenants are the most limiting factor since their homing missiles make it even more difficult to dodge in your limited space. It's a great feeling when you finally carve out the heart of the opposition and can get around to clearing. The stuff on the south end is pretty much BFG 101. I enjoyed the cacodemon swarm, though, and the zombies fronting the side area monster packs are excellent dick moves. The finale is a good ol' invasion that begins at the opposite end of the bridge where you came from. It's an exhausting level but I felt pretty stoked when I finally managed to get the better of the opening minutes.

MAP30	Catastrophe At the Keep of Cape Caco
by "Noisyvelvet"
	A novelty map where the player must conquer a waterbound fortress in a cove. You wouldn't know it at first but you're actually being invaded by nearly two-thousand cacodemons. You're under a time limit because you don't have anywhere close to enough ammo to kill them all. You need to acquire the BFG and then complete the rest of the track in order to reach the invul sphere. If you don't do this before the cacos have run of the keep then you'll be dead in the water, so to speak. From there it's out to sea, punching through the teeming mass before your deification wears off. I mention all of this since it seems counter-intuitive. The lack of an exit in the fort tripped me up and made me feel completely lost.

I SEE A TEXTURE AND I SET IT TO ALLBLACK

NO COLORS ANYMORE, I WANT THEM TO BE BLACK