The DOOM WAD Book Club

Hello, fellow DOOMers! Welcome to the DOOM WAD Book Club!

The rules are simple: download the currently spotlighted WAD (links will be provided in the thread), play it, and write your thoughts on the level(s) here as you go along. Anybody is invited to join in.


Current WAD: JENESIS

http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/index.php?id=16640

(requires DOOM2.WAD and a Boom-compatible source port)

You may have played Jenesis before, but this is the full, final, 32-map release. The WAD apparently pays homage to classic MegaWADs like Momento Mori, Requiem, Hell Revealed, Alien Vendetta and more. I can't say how accurate that is, but we'll soon find out!
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Decided to go for Ultra-Violence again. Here we go!

Map01: Hm, multiple Revenants and chaingunners in the first level. Not sure if I should be worried about that. A few frustrating instances of autoaim abuse, as well, with chaingun snipers camping out in hard-to-approach alcoves. I nearly bought it during one such instance, where they blasted me down to %7 health. I also hope future levels will expand beyond this "Hey, Metallica was cool, right?" musical style. I did like the ammo balance in the level, however. I wasn't exactly starved for supplies, but I did have to switch between the shotgun and chaingun several times due to dwindling ammunition. (Or maybe there just weren't enough bullets for my chaingun.)

Map02: Went for a good while there without getting a super shotgun. I was almost sad to see it (but not sad about using it on the Revenant in the next room.) Boy, there's this one hallway with Revenant snipers at the end of it that really causes a headache, since the door at the end of the hall only closes automatically; you can't shut it yourself. This means you have to keep running up to reopen the door, then retreat back down the hall when the Revs and zombies retaliate, since you can't close the door and use it to protect yourself. The author sure knows how to make the most of a smaller enemy count.

Map03: I really liked the atmosphere of this one--the "manmade architecture amongst water/nature" sort of crap I'd make for a DOOM level if I had any clue what I was doing. The multiple doors/windows leading into the blue key courtyard make for some good battle strategy. *spoiler* And thank goodness that thing that looks like an Arch-Vile jump secret isn't actually one! *end spoiler*

Map04: Just strolling along like normal and then BAM, a sequel to a Hell Revealed level, out of nowhere. (However, unlike the original map, I was able to actually figure out how to grab the weapon sitting on top of the well.) It's definitely better than the original HR map, considering the original was pretty much just shameless filler. *spoiler* I also completely panicked with the YK trap and barely made it out.*end spoiler*

Total Death Count: 0
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aniLEhilated posted...
I do hope the HR level in question isn't The Path. I mean, a sequel to that made me quit HR2.

Same here! That level already sucked in HR1, so having to do an even MORE annoying version of it in HR2? Forget it. Thankfully, the sequel in question is to The Garden Terminal, an early HR1 map.


IOS: What does the secret behind the waterfall do? Sure has hell doesn't lower the supercharge...

Just has a box of bullets in it.


Recoome_is_god posted...
I'm noticing that whoever designed this also has an unearthly fetish for filling empty space with "those who return from death" for no reason other than 'because they can'.

Considering your hatred of Revenants, I'm surprised you can play DOOM II WADs at all. Throwing as many of those boneheads at you as possible seems to be a staple of most D2 mapsets.


Tad_Dainty posted...
I'm over 59 minutes now... it looks like i'm gonna put 7 or 10 hours into this map pack if I can finish it. That's like an fps campaign & a half.

Welcome to the club, Ted!

It's pretty sad how entirely free add-on WADs for DOOM often last nearly twice as long as the SP campaigns in modern, full-priced games. Doom 2 Reloaded lasted me a good 10+ hours as well.


Map05: Not much to say about this one, though I do like the connectivity of it, with how, after you complete an objective, there's usually a teleporter or door that cuts right to the next area you need to visit instead of forcing you to backtrack.

Map06: This level can be fairly simple or rather difficult depending on how you approach it; I approached it wrong and racked up my first death here, but tried it from a different angle on my next go and pretty much breezed through.

Map07: Was there just something so deeply special about Dead Simple that every Map07 must make some sort of homage to it? I'm sick of these arenas filled with Mancubi and Arachnotrons. There's got to be more interesting ways to use the 666 & 667 tags.

Map08: I hope you like running through toxic sludge! That seems to be the primary theme of this map, with several major areas overflowing with the crap. The constant threat of drowning in ooze does give a certain intensity to the level's pace, but it's not exactly desirable. I like the atmosphere of the dark, underground mine areas in the sections where the floor ISN'T green goop.

Map09: Ah, cripes, more damage floors? As if the previous level weren't bad enough, seemingly all of this map consists of nukage flats, resulting in you running around like a dope, hoping you'll find a new radiation suit while your legs melt. There's a somewhat cheap battle near the end that took me out, combining the damage floors with Revenants, chaingunners and a lack of cover for the annoyance trifecta (quadfecta?). At least the vaguely Depeche Mode-like song for this map is nice. I just hope the author gets over his sludge love, and fast. (Amusingly, like some sort of bizarre meta-joke, the nukage floors in the first room don't actually hurt you.)

Map10: The sky texture, music and architecture of the level create a rather pretty, albeit somewhat depressing atmosphere. It's quite absorbing (even though it screws up continuity a bit. We were on Mars a moment ago, I thought, and now we're in some ghost town in the mountains or something?). However, navigation is kind of a pain as you'll repeatedly be forced to run back and forth through the level to get where you need to go. By the way, to any level designers out there, PLEASE don't put armor suits in narrow places where you can't avoid them. It's a real waste. The exit room that you can't backtrack out of is a bit irritating, too.

Total Death Count: 2
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Tad_Dainty posted...
HMP is challenging without any hair pulling crazy parts so far. It's the way to play most megawads influenced by Plutonia, Hell Revealed, Alien Vendetta, etc... I will even drop down another if it starts getting bad. I don't want to miss out on levels just because I couldn't handle all the fights. not sure about the others but Plutonia itself is pretty brutal on HNTR.

This WAD doesn't seem ultra-hard on UV (yet), so HMP should be plenty manageable. And I've only ever beaten Plutonia on NTR, myself.


...everything sawed down, it will make you grit your teeth IRL like the doomguy's face when you lean on the trigger...

I do the same sometimes. It's a visceral, satisfying feeling.


I even got 100% everything here including a megasphere, so I left in good shape.

Shoot, I didn't find a megasphere until Map14. I'm bad at secret-hunting after all.


[Map07] seems bigger than it appears on the automap, or something.

Yes, most of the map area is taken up by a giant sea of toxic goo that stretches out into the horizon. Just for looks.

My apologies for erroneously referring to you as "Ted" earlier, by the way.


aniLEhilated posted...
MAP03: Really nice music on this one.

I feel bad about my early criticism of the WAD's music, as several of the tracks have ended up being extremely good. I need to find out what other WADs Jimmy Paddock's composed for.


Also, that may be just me being bad at Doom, but ammo is really tight. If you're going to abuse revenants on high places, at least give me some goddamn rockets.

You'll be happy to know, later on, there's plenty of rocket ammo. I rarely drop below 80 rockets anymore.


In unrelated news, how do you get that chainsaw in the pond [in MAP04]?

Whenever you lower the main door leading out of the pond area, a switch will briefly be exposed in one of those barrel-filled alcoves nearby. Hit that to make a small platform appear next to the pond.


MAP05: Not slime, please... Bleh. Everything I wrote about sewer levels in D2R holds true here; it's simply not fun.

You're going to just love Map08 & 09.

By the way, glad I could help with the chaingun sniping.


My actual map feedback is coming up in the next post.
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Map11: Another level that spawns you right in the middle of a cluster of baddies. This author seems to like doing that. Not much to this one: go into rooms, lay waste with the SSG, move on. You can even totally cheat the final battle if you know how to exploit it. On the plus side, finally, a plasma gun!

Map12: And this level spawns you in front of a chaingunner. Delightful. I'm getting some horrible Highway 17 flashbacks here myself, although this level is mercifully shorter. Cover is very hard to come by in this one, with snipers repeatedly pelting you from who-knows-where. By the end, it got so bad with the incredibly cheap monster placement that I just had to make an ugly, awkward, mad dash to the finish line, plasma gun blazing the whole way. Woe to anyone who tries to get 100% kills in this map on UV.

Map13: I guess the beginning-of-map swarms are just going to be a normal thing from now on. Really like the giant UAC logo in the start room. Took me a while to realize it wasn't just drawn onto the flat. Like the animated versions of some of the classic DOOM computer textures, too. The one-shot megaarmor secret really ticked me off. This level just feels lethargic after the craziness of the last one, though I do like the occasional outdoor excursions you get to partake in--gives the map more depth and makes it feel more fully realized.

Map14: Not much to say about this one either. Several ambushes that are a bit nasty, but fairly predictable (although I did almost blow my face off with a rocket when a swarm of pinkies suddenly popped into existence in front of me).

Map15: Didn't know the yellow goop lining the perimeter of the opening area wasn't just for show, and I got a lot of my HP knocked off from standing around in it during a fight. D'oh. Obviously the author felt it'd been too long since you were forced to fight bad guys while running around on a damage floor in a mad panic, because here we go again! (At least it's brief this time.) The hillside with all the yellow goop flowing over it did have a neat, otherworldly vibe to its look, however. *spoiler* Died here again to the area beyond the red gate. I knew it was going to be bad, but it caught me off guard anyway.*end spoiler*

Couldn't find the secret exit, as per usual. On to Map16 for me!

Total Death Count: 3
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Map16: A lot of level authors will do those "detail doors" that are just there for looks and don't actually work, so I like how this author makes them look busted up and broken so you know for sure. Aside from a bit of eye candy, however, this level's not very noteworthy. None of the battles are really tough, and you're pretty much going through the motions (though I admit that I circumvented a couple of the ambushes through exploiting and a bit of dumb luck).

Map17: Subway station or some such. Of course, the tracks electrocute you if you walk on them. I hate when level designers feel compelled to do that (though it does add tension to the fights, restricting your movement somewhat without actually blocking you with walls). Oh, and electrified water at the end, too! Lovely! Great custom textures and good lighting make this one pretty immersive, though the layout is a bit confusing, and it's extremely hard to see in some spots.

Map18: Hey, an arranged version of one of my favorite Rise of the Triad (Hell Revealed) songs. Cool. RotT still has one of the best FPS soundtracks I've ever heard. The opening fight is made much tougher for autoaim players by one rather inconveniently-placed chaingunner sniper; you try to target him and the Imps get it instead, letting him pelt you freely and forcing you to run out into the fray to dodge his attack. The part where you flood the room to reach a door above is a cool idea, and makes me wish this WAD had employed more Boom tricks. Aside from a few Arch-Viles that were a bit awkwardly placed, it was a pretty easy map (though I admit that I cheated one of the traps again. Mappers, if you're going rig a key with a trap, make sure players can't pick up the key without setting the trap off!). However, the cramped corridors made me tense and primed for ambushes, and actually startled myself once when I pushed on a wall and a secret popped open.

Map19: The opening worryingly makes this look like another damage floor map, but it tapers off quickly, thank goodness. I like the part where the door opens with a Knight facing away from you, and you can stay quiet and wait for some of the Imps to shoot it. There's several sections where you can get the drop on enemies from windows and high ledges where they can't reach you, which I always approve of. *spoiler* There's this great "accidental secret" that you can find by pressing on a wall right next to a switch, as well. Cool idea.*end spoiler*

Map20: Feels sort of like an abstract E1M8 homage at points, yet looks like an E2 map. Was investigating a wall for secrets when it popped open as an ambush; could've been hurt way worse, but still unpleasant. *spoiler* The Cyberdemon battle really threw me for a loop and I died terribly the first time; abusing infighting took care of things easily on the second go-around. I also finally got a BFG, but after that fight, and then you lose all of your supplies at the end of the level, so I didn't get to use it for anything. Boo. *end spoiler*

Total Deaths: 4

Off to the Hell maps. Let's hope Jenesis has better luck with these than Doom 2 Reloaded did.
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