Silent Halls (SILHALLS.WAD)

SILENT HALLS

by "Memfis"

Memfis made a ton of levels from 2011-2014 and more than half of these were built during 2013-2014. A lot of his works were soft-released on the Doomworld forums and then uploaded in bulk in mid-2014. This was for a variety of reasons, I'm sure. As an author, he has a ton of facets and is perfectly willing to explore grueling challenge-style levels - like Download - just as readily as he pays tribute to community classics like Icarus: Alien Vanguard with ICARUMEM. Silent Halls feels like it leans more toward the latter category, which only figures as it is a reject from a megaWAD that he was developing that was heavily inspired by Requiem, Memento Mori, and MM2. Originally occupying the MAP02 slot, it is presented here as a MAP01 replacement that ought to work in limit-removing sourceports.

The author cut this from his in utero project because it felt "directionless" - "just connectivity for the sake of connectivity". The idea is that it was an early-megaWAD map but classic PWAD layouts tend toward something more linear in execution. I agree in principle. This does not make Silent Halls a bad map, but it certainly does not embody the facets of the Moeller megaWADs as he perceived them. Thankfully this means that he published it individually rather than letting it languish in obscurity as part of an unfinished work! The final product is a well-interconnected level with optional areas that are tucked away, some of which are secret. I hit upon a few of these during my playthrough but still had to do an end-of-level roundup to completely clear the map.

And I enjoy that. Somewhere at the core of Doom lies the Dungeons and Dragons sessions that inspired the thrust of the game and it is generally a treat for me to explore these digital environments, every nook and cranny. It pays to discover these side areas earlier, of course. You might end up with an early chaingun pickup or a green armor. I especially like that the two secrets are the only means of examining areas that are otherwise solely glimpsed at in the level's periphery. It's similar to the way in which world-building is accomplished through idtech1 level design except enterprising players can find the VIP entrance to some exclusive haunts.

Silent Halls is a handsome beige brick castle / dungeon / thing with a few outdoor yards and outer towers / strongholds. It's an engaging virtual environment for explorers due to the aspects of its level design that Memfis was dissatisfied with. Some of the details, like the gated back alley on the west side, also evoke - for me - shades of Eternal Doom. There is nothing of its geometry-bound cryptography, however, outside of the aforementioned secrets. I'm a sucker for all of the Memento Mori et al Gothic metal and stuff and SILHALLS delivers with a healthy mix of both stock and custom textures. It all fits together for a feel that's both classic and fresh. There's one wicked cool bit with popup / popdown staircases that reminds me of MM2's "The Nephilim" (MAP16).

As far as combat is concerned, the main danger in this map comes from player exposure due to its highly interconnected nature. Monsters are hiding out on balconies or capable of shooting through windows to chip away at your health. As a microcosm, the style is evidenced in the blue key fight. It's obvious that the key is trapped but the resulting encounter is a two-pronged battle. A peanut gallery of hitscanners opens up behind your position while a cacodemon and couple of other uglies pop out from a monster closet. If you try to deal with either front then you're exposed to the opposite. There is a third option, of course, provided that you don't fall into the inescapable damage pit as you leg it out of there.

You are capable of playing safely and, well, slowly, or you can rush in and react accordingly. Ammo is less of a concern than in some of the author's past works as is in keeping with the more bountiful golden age of demonslaying. It's less resource-intensive overall, with some curious characteristics that are no doubt due to its proposed early slot in a '96-'97 influenced PWAD. The combat leans away from the punchy Plutonia style due to your weapons being limited to the regular shotgun and chaingun. The commando is the only confounding critter from Doom II to show its ugly face and appears sparingly. If you find the skill-intensive gameplay of "newschool" level design to be inimical to your enjoyment, especially as it exploits the expanded bestiary, then have I got a level for you.

Silent Halls is a modest little microcosm that comes as a treat when, over time, community level design has trended toward more tightly-balanced and demanding combat. I'm sure that I wouldn't be the only one to enjoy a complete Memfis megaWAD treatment of maps of this caliber. For now, however, we must make do with such gems as they are dutifully metered out.

QUIET WHILE YOU'RE AHEAD