[OpenMaw]

LA Meltdown without question.

The first two levels set the stage for the rest of the game so beautifully. Death Row offers a great twist in the "story" The Abyss is a fantastically atmospheric place as you venture down deeper into the faultline, only to discover a massive alien ship and face down against it's captain, The Battlelord. The stuff of epics.

Not saying the other episodes aren't good, just, Meltdown leaves a major-league impression.

[Lunick]

There are parts of me that wish Lunar Apocalypse didn't exist but I love all the other episodes.

[xMobilemux]

LA Meltdown all the way Pretty much the same reason Commando said, but I'll also add because Hollywood Holocaust is my favorite level in the entire game and is as famous as Doom's E1L1, there's fan made multiplayer maps of HH in loads of other games too, plus Stalker is an awesome score, especially the Total Meltdown version

[necroslut]

I love all the episodes, but while LA Meltdown is a bit on the short side and IMO drags a little on the end, Lunar Apocalypse is a bit too samey and The Birth is a bit gimmicky, Shrapnel City is top-notch all the way. It has almost all of my favorite levels (except E1L1/E1L2).

[Malgon]

I'm going with E2. Not that I think it's the best one (1 and 3 are superb in so many ways), it just happens to be my favourite.

[t800]

L.A. Meltdown is classic. It set bar for whole 1.3d version of game (The Birth is naturally more detailed because it got released later). And lets not forget that it served advertising purpose as shareware episode, without its high quality it would never attract so many buyers and later helped to shape big lasting and loyal community that duke3d has. I always prefered it over Lunar Apocalypse, that was more similar to other fps games from 90s in having its dull looking space stations and hi-tech bases with unrealic architecture and symmetric layouts. Hollywood Holocaust and Red Light District made this game stand over other fps games from its time with its realistic and believable looking enviroments. Every place in them has its real life purpose. They are not just made to fill level with big halls and long empty corridors (so well known from other doom-like games).

My 2nd most favourite is The Birth, there are many unforgettable levels such as Its Impossible, Duke-Burger, Critical Mass and Derelict (except for Babe Land, I hate it with its annoying squeeking Mickey Mouses and stupid level design {one of the keys is even hidden in secret room!}). I like it for its gimmicks because themes are changed drastically between levels and that prevents boredom.

Shrapnel City is somewhat of lower quality compared to Meltdown and Birth. First half is great, but Hotel Hell, Rabid Transit and Fahrenheit are, well... meh.

[necroslut]

t800, on 10 September 2012 - 03:18 AM, said:

Shrapnel City is somewhat of lower quality compared to Meltdown and Birth. First half is great, but Hotel Hell, Rabid Transit and Fahrenheit are, well... meh.

Whaat, those are some of the best levels in the game! Especially Hotel Hell.

[Loke]

t800, on 10 September 2012 - 03:18 AM, said:

First half is great, but Hotel Hell, Rabid Transit and Fahrenheit are, well... meh.

Hotel Hell? Lolwut? That's one of the best level in the entire game.

[Jinroh]

I always liked Shrapnel City's maps, I love L.A. Meltdown, but I'm sick of always playing through it.

[t800]

Hey guys, I didnt say that Hotel Hell is bad map. Meh means something like not bad, but also not good. Something between it, neutral rating, because it didnt impressed me much, didnt get my attention. IMHO I consider its level design to be of lower quality compared to for example Flood zone or Bank roll. I think that even with Build editor and hardware limitations of its age and style they used for other maps in that episode there could be achieved more with hotel theme. For example street around hotel looks really bland, hotel halls are too wide and empty and there is no restaurant or cafe in there.

Have anybody even read other paragraphs above last one before seeing hotel hell mentioned in bad light and bursting in rage?

[Inspector Lagomorf]

t800, on 10 September 2012 - 06:44 AM, said:

Hey guys, I didnt say that Hotel Hell is bad map. Meh means something like not bad, but also not good. Something between it, neutral rating, because it didnt impressed me much, didnt get my attention. IMHO I consider its level design to be of lower quality compared to for example Flood zone or Bank roll. I think that even with Build editor and hardware limitations of its age and style they used for other maps in that episode there could be achieved more with hotel theme. For example street around hotel looks really bland, hotel halls are too wide and empty and there is no restaurant or cafe in there.

Have anybody even read other paragraphs above last one before seeing hotel hell mentioned in bad light and bursting in rage?

To me Hotel Hell is good for but one reason:
It leads to Freeway.

[Inspector Lagomorf]

I don't know, I've always considered it more similar to the L.A. Meltdown style.

[OpenMaw]

Achenar, on 10 September 2012 - 06:51 AM, said:

To me Hotel Hell is good for but one reason:
It leads to Freeway.

"Terminated!"

Yeah. Can't argue with that.

[DN4ever]

L.A. Meltdown. Those levels are not only great to play, but extremely nostalgic and emotional for me. It's also the only episode I've beaten on Come Get Some (no Damn I'm Good for me ) and I always play it exactly the same way, all the secrets in the same order, like a very strong habit.

[Loke]

Achenar, on 10 September 2012 - 06:51 AM, said:

To me Hotel Hell is good for but one reason:
It leads to Freeway.

Oh yeah, Freeway is probably the best city-themed map in the game. It was even extended in the N64 version.

[NNC]

Lunick, on 09 September 2012 - 12:35 PM, said:

There are parts of me that wish Lunar Apocalypse didn't exist but I love all the other episodes.

I don't get the hate for Apocalypse. It has some really well built and atmospheric levels. I generally enjoy the first 5 and Dark Side. I dislike Tib. Station and Lunar Reactor though, they seem boring.

Mine is LA Meltdown. It's story driven, and has a general feel of "moving forward". Second might be The Birth, it has some very professional looking levels.

[NNC]

Achenar, on 10 September 2012 - 06:57 AM, said:

I don't know, I've always considered it more similar to the L.A. Meltdown style.

Yep. It's LAM style definately. Remove the registered version monsters and items and it may work as a normal level in E1. That can't be said about other levels of the game. Sewer and Sweeney from Levelord feels like something from LAM.

[Kathy]

Dark Fucking Side.

[Hendricks266]

XXX-Stacy is a steady stream of WTF. You go from a random movie house to a random comedy club... why are there shrinkers shooting over the water, the end?

[MrFlibble]

Hendricks266, on 28 September 2012 - 09:01 AM, said:

You go from a random movie house to a random comedy club...

Hmm, I guess that at some point, the idea of modelling levels after recognizable real-life locations had become a major driving force in and of itself.

BTW, for some time I used to think that I like the second episode less than the others, because of how the whole space station theme contrasts so much with the more realistic/familiar-looking locations elsewhere. However, now I'd say that the theme of the second episode is, on the whole, quite well done, not to mention it's also a "tribute to Doom" of sorts. Can't decide which of the episodes is the best though, I believe any and each of them has its own merits.

[Inspector Lagomorf]

Hendricks266, on 28 September 2012 - 09:01 AM, said:

why are there shrinkers shooting over the water, the end?

This.

[MetHy]

Funny, I always thought the comedy club was out of place, but the shrinker never stroke me as being weird.