[NNC]

Malgon, on 12 December 2023 - 05:41 AM, said:

Just finished playing through all the levels now, and I have to say I quite enjoyed it. Really took my time playing and hunting for secrets (found most every level), but missed the secret level, and also played at a slow pace trying to keep my health and armour up. Definitely found the first couple of levels really tight with health and armour, but as it went on it became more generous, and due to having so much ammo as well, it got down to a fairly manageable level to the point where there were untouched Soul Spheres in some of the secrets.

I really dug the visual design with the new blue sky texture and the contrasting red, and also the signature cracks throughout the environments, and thought the layouts were interesting and kept you on your toes with the way monster placement and traps were set up. The music went well with the levels too and didn't get old even when exploring for long periods. My favourite level was E6M6 as it had a nice flow to it and looked great.

Not sure what the consensus is on whether people prefer Sigil or Sigil II, but maybe because I knew what to expect from Sigil, I got more into the groove this time around and had a more fun experience playing overall. I might have to give Sigil a replay to see if I gain more appreciation for it.

Sigil 1 was much shorter though, the first 3 and the last level weren't long at all (can be played out in like 4-5 minutes), and didn't have such ambitious maps as M6 or M7. It was comfier for most parts though, Sigil II can be very punishing even on HMP, if you don't know what to do. For example in M3, the order you take the Mt. Erebus like layout is very important as it can go wrong easily (not to mention the horrible pit around the BFG building). In M4 I think luck is involved in the crusher area, I can't beat it without taking damage (and some secrets also has mandatory lava damage too). M6 also has that garden maze with the cyberdemon, to reach the invul sphere you need to find the edges near the entrance, because the strafejump at the top is unreliable and almost impossible.

M7 was a great chill map IMHO. It has some hitscan galore, and sometimes it looks confusing, but it's a nice puzzle map, that isn't terribly difficult or strenous.

[Fantinaikos]

Now that we officially have DOOM in Quake, why not have Quake in DOOM as possible?

Some mods may work as combined or as they are, this stuff shouldn't crash or overwrite each other for the most.

Quake 1 Stuff Ultra Reloaded (3D models option of your port must be active)

HubDoom 2 (Quake style difficulty&episode selection hub)

Quake-style movement (However it may be possible to achieve similar results with Zmovement)

NQParticle (Quake 1 style particles)

Q - Quake stuff for Doom, Heretic and Hexen and Skull-tag (weapons and items only)

Quake Champions: Doom Edition


Maps and TC's

QDOOM (Quake remade for EDGE engine, 12 levels)

Project Slipgate: Remastered Edition

Return to the Slipgate Complex

Dimension of the Boomed

Parallel Doomensions (apparently unfinished)

The Ultimate Torment and Torture or the mod compatible version "Supportive Edition"
(check out also the Skull-tag exclusive "Invasion")

Hell's Twisted Influence: The new Nightmare

OSJC's QUAKE - Descent into Heresy - revisited (for Heretic, features it's own separated soundtrack and an alternative hud)

Q-Type DM (Quake 1 style deathmatch maps for Zandronum)

e1m1q 2020 Edition (E1M1 recreation)

Castle of the Damned (E1M2 recreation)

The House of Cyberdemon (E1M7 recreation)

Infraworld - Coma Moonlight

Quake II Resources (thinked for the mappers, but should also turn any DOOM map into a Quake 2 one)

Zaero: Episode 1 (Quake 2 style. Other episodes has never released, but it's considered candidable for a Cacoward by some)

[Phredreeke]

There's this as well (remake of Quake 2 PSX maps in GZDoom)

[ImpieTheThird]

I recently finished the latest installment of a series I'm kind of fond of, but doesn't get a lot of love on the 'net: Arkista's Ring for Heretic and Hexen. This series began as a reboot of the fantasy-oriented NES game of the same name. Originally I'd planned to do a Wolf3D style cutesy shooter thing recreating the arcadey maps of the original game, but then got the idea to reinvent the whole thing into a pulp sci-fi fantasy in the style of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Andre Norton, but with a hardboiled edge rather than a romantic one. The mods do the same when applied to Heretic and Hexen, allowing you to revisit them with a new coat of paint.

The first mod, Arkista's Ring, is a small hub-based adventure on a hostile planet. This is the only one where I created maps as well as new weapons, monsters, and artifacts. It very loosely follows the premise of the original NES game and builds on it exponentially. I created a star system where elves are considered the backwoods hicks of the galaxy, as represented by our cowgirl heroine Christine. Would've posted a sample video but the forum yelled at me for too many media files. You can see one on the download page though.



The second mod, Damn Dirty Dwarves, is a gameplay mod meant for use with other Heretic mapsets. It has a couple modified versions that are compatible with Masters of Chaos and the Faithless Trilogy (i tried just patching them, but for whatever reason the patches didn't work, so I just made altered versions of the original mod instead). Lots of new guns and monsters, and playing through classic Heretic mapsets is pretty fun. It certainly speeds up the gameplay. Heretic is notorious for having nerfed guns and monsters that take too long to kill, assisted by a bonkers player-hating RNG. Arkista's Ring weapons are beefy as hell and the monsters drop as easily as you do.

Really the main reason I made a habit of modding for Heretic was to make Heretic less tedious to play.



The newest mod, Martyrs of Mayhem, does for Hexen what DDD did for Heretic. More new monsters and guns, and this time three hardboiled space-age classes to choose from. Instead of building your ultimate weapons one piece at a time, you collect upgrades for your second weapon to make it more powerful, so you get immediate feedback when you find a piece. Your starting weapon is also powered up by Arkista's Ring for the duration of the hub, so finding that artifact is really worth it. Korax also gets a fun makeover as SHODAN's prettier little sister.

Finally, each mod comes with a detailed manual filled with lore and tips and stuff to help immerse you in the setting.

You can download all the mods in one package on this page.

[jkas789]

Oh I remember this! Nice to see the mod still getting some love. I actually played the og game when I was younger and it was fun IME.

[Ninety-Six]

Fantinaikos, on 14 December 2023 - 01:03 PM, said:

Now that we officially have DOOM in Quake, why not have Quake in DOOM as possible?

Some mods may work as combined or as they are, this stuff shouldn't crash or overwrite each other for the most.

Also worth mentioning: they're not dedicated for Quake but, Requiem's MAP31 is a level based on E1M6, and Samsara has Ranger as a playable character. And while that is also an MP-focused mod, like with QC:DE it can be played single-player.

[NNC]

Sigil 2's soundtrack: https://jamespaddock...midi-soundtrack

Jimmy did a great job here once again. The music is fully professional level, some of them, particularly E6M2's and E6M7's chill tracks (track 3 and 8 in the playlist) are something that brought some Lee Jackson mostalgia out of me, they could have worked in some Duke levels, like Hotel Hell or Dark Side.

[Malgon]

Stumbled across this AI generated video yesterday, and it's pretty fascinating some of the monster designs and colours it gravitated towards (like purple) and how it morphed between environmental details, monsters, and the weapons. I've watched it a few times now and every time I focus on a different area I see something new that I missed. Definitely interesting, but be warned, it could cause eye-strain (or worse), due to the constantly changing nature of it.

[Danukem]

Wish there was context on how the AI was prompted. Was it prompted to make a single image a bunch of times and then the results were stitched together by a human? Or was it prompted to make a whole video, and with what prompt?

[ck3D]

That's like experiencing 4D Doom, pretty cool. Gun morphing into demons at random was the creepiest and most inspiring part to me, has any game ever played with the FPS trope like that before, if not then now for sure it's not going to take long before somebody does it.

[Malgon]

Danukem, on 17 December 2023 - 09:11 PM, said:

Wish there was context on how the AI was prompted. Was it prompted to make a single image a bunch of times and then the results were stitched together by a human? Or was it prompted to make a whole video, and with what prompt?

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing about it being a single image over and over or a whole video being generated.

ck3D, on 17 December 2023 - 10:34 PM, said:

That's like experiencing 4D Doom, pretty cool. Gun morphing into demons at random was the creepiest and most inspiring part to me, has any game ever played with the FPS trope like that before, if not then now for sure it's not going to take long before somebody does it.

Definitely creepy how it morphed the weapon into the demons, also thought it was interesting how it seemed to have an affinity for floating demon heads, Lost Soul style.

[NNC]

Regarding Sigil 2 again, I think E6M7 would have worked better as a secret level than E6M9, which has a canonic vibe, and makes a great pairing with E6M4 and E6M5. E6M6 is your typical penultimate level.

[jkas789]

This post was originally posted on the Sigil thread. Moved it for visibility and because as ck32 pointed out, the discussion is happening here

So SIGIL 2 is out. What are y'alls thoughts about it. is it just me or does the 2nd wad feels underwhelming compared to the first one. Not that the level design is bad persay, but at least for me playing through SIGIL 2 felt more like a slog at times (specially with all the fucking cacodemons Romero just love using) in comparison to the first one.

I think, at least personally, that the absence of the super shotgun is really felt in this wad as well.

[jkas789]

This post was originally posted on the Sigil thread. Moved it for visibility and because as ck3d pointed out, the discussion is happening here

So SIGIL 2 is out. What are y'alls thoughts about it. is it just me or does the 2nd wad feels underwhelming compared to the first one. Not that the level design is bad persay, but at least for me playing through SIGIL 2 felt more like a slog at times (specially with all the fucking cacodemons Romero just love using) in comparison to the first one.

I think, at least personally, that the absence of the super shotgun is really felt in this wad as well.

[ReaperAA]

I haven't played Sigil 2 yet since I am fairly sure that it will receive some patches and tweaks (like the first Sigil did).

Although I have watched a few videos of it om yt (Civvie11, Decino and Pagb666) and it seems like UV would probably not be a good choice for a 1st playthrough. Every map seems to have a cyberdemon and a good deal of them have a bit too much of shotgun vs cacodemons/barons action. It's kind of why I too wish Sigil 2 was for Doom 2 instead of Doom 1 since we would have gotten SSG and less reliance on cacos/barons/cyberdemons.
I am also not a fan of the 30-second secrets. Just a way to screw maxers more than anything.
On the other hand, I appreciate the return of some techbases, adding a bit more aesthetic variety.

[jkas789]

ReaperAA, on 19 December 2023 - 08:58 PM, said:

On the other hand, I appreciate the return of some techbases, adding a bit more aesthetic variety.

Jesus yes. I was seeing red long after i finished Sigil 1.

[Ninety-Six]

ReaperAA, on 19 December 2023 - 08:58 PM, said:

I am also not a fan of the 30-second secrets. Just a way to screw maxers more than anything.

oh no

[NNC]

I only played on HMP, that's the legit UV experience from the classic episodes (maybe levels like E4M1 and E4M2 are harder on UV than some levels in Sigil 2 on HMP). With that, it's mostly playable and fun, but tweaks are necessary indeed. Especially in the first level, that's mean and has lots of problems, including the overwhelming start and the unneeded post-ending secrets and backtracking, which are just weird. E6M3 has those inescapable pits (I kinda warmed into the rocketjump, but it also needs an invul at least to match the Mt. Erebus experience. Not a big fan of the 30 second secret in E6M4 in particular (that, and the broken E6M1 secret, the rest of these are all fine), and the map badly needs a radsuit on every skill because of mandatory damages. E6M6 cyber maze and catwalking and straferunning is also annoying, but I think Romero won't touch this one, because most feedbacks are positive.

Anything else is very good IMHO, and I'm fine with them. The design is superb, Romero once again showed who's the boss. I started Eviternity 2, and honestly, got bored in the 3rd level. In both Sigil 1 and 2, the levels have their own characters, visual narratives, gameplay styles. They are all unique. In most fanmade wads, I don't see this kind of creativity. They aim for big scales and realism, and combat might be fairer in the early maps (usually gets very annoying in late levels), but somehow a beat is missing. In Evi M1, I already spent lots of time with unnecessary wandering around irrelevant areas, and it got worse in the second and third maps. Romero's maps always carry some annoyances around, but when I play them, they always give the impression of "canon" feel. They look like Doom, and they are all original with their own little puzzles.

[ReaperAA]

The Watchtower, on 20 December 2023 - 01:25 AM, said:

In Evi M1, I already spent lots of time with unnecessary wandering around irrelevant areas, and it got worse in the second and third maps. Romero's maps always carry some annoyances around, but when I play them, they always give the impression of "canon" feel. They look like Doom, and they are all original with their own little puzzles.

That's because the first 2 maps of Eviternity 2 are basically the doomguy backtracking through the final areas (Maps 30, 29, 28) of the original Eviternity and Map03 is where the wad really begins
Speaking of creativity, just IDCELV33 in Eviternity 2

[NNC]

ReaperAA, on 20 December 2023 - 01:47 AM, said:

Speaking of creativity, just IDCELV33 in Eviternity 2

Kek.

[brullov]

Hey guys, I've just released my first map for Doom 2! It's also my debut as a music composer. Please turn up the music for the best immersive experience. You can download it on the DW forum.

[Fantinaikos]

30 years of DOOM means 30 years of Christmas during the game existence, and numerous Christmas contents has been made and more will come in future. So here some Xmas wads for the Holiday.

MODS

Doom Christmas: Enhanced (Both available for Players and Mappers, is an improvement of the previous DOOM CHRISTMAS stuff pack. Like its predecessor it can turn EVERY wad, even those not totally vanilla, into Christmas levels. Naturally it give his best in on winter maps as well upgrade older Christmas ones)

Xmas-Doom patches + DBP Xmas patches (I'ts the Doom Christmas: Enhanced but in separated features to avoid inconsistencies with resources of certain wad. Also contains QOL patches for past DPB Christmas projects)

SNOWIMPS (if imps with Christmas hat looks too mundaine, this will turn them into snowmans)

Universal Rain and Snow (The snow part is what interest you here. Probably no need in WADs which already have their own system)

Doom: Christmas on Earth (Rocket launcher will shot gifts that monsters will exchange each other with love&care before being defeated. Works with Christmas pack but expect sprites swaps. Lethal Edition and Non-Lethal Edition)

SmoothDoom Vanilla Christmas Patch (basically Christmas version of Smooth Doom. Unfortunately is so vanilla that have a sorta of incompatibility with Christmas: Enhanced pack)


WADS AND MINIEPISODES

32in24-14: How the Hamburglar Stole Christmas (part of 32in24 series. Actually mostly vanilla winter apart, play with Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack for a real Xmas touch)

100 Line Christmas (upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

200 Line Christmas (already based on the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

A Very DOOM Christmas 2015 - X-Mas Nightmare (Due some custom stuff Xmas-Doom patches addons may be more abvisable. Otherwise use Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack if you don't care to have some enemies replaced and stuff that seem out of place)

A War On Christmas (upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

A War On Christmas 2 (upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

Bagellio's Christmas Wad (just play it with Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack, improves A LOT)

Below Zero (based on 1.2 version of Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack so just upgrade it with the new one)

Carol of the Hells: A Brutal Christmas Crusade (upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

Christmas Bash (2.1) (already have an it's own attempt at improve older Christmas resources, but using the latest Enhanced pack not seem to downgrade anything. If you aren't sure, use one of Xmas-Doom patches separated addons)

Christmas Cheer From The Chillzone (upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

DBK02: The DBK Holiday Special (better play as it is, Christmas pack new version would overwritten too much stuff)

DBP7: The Merry Christmassy Doom Project (use the DBP_7-FIX.WAD Xmas-Doom patches)

DBP19: A Doomer Boards Christmas Carol (use the DBP_19-FIX.WAD Xmas-Doom patches)

DBP31: Santa's Outback Bender (use the DBP_31-FIX.WAD Xmas-Doom patches)

DBP43: Christmas In Inferno (use the DBP_43-FIX.WAD Xmas-Doom patches)

DBP55: Jolly Junkyard (use the DBP_55-FIX.WAD Xmas-Doom patches)

Doom Christmas 2016 (better with Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

H2H-Xmas Edition (upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

Holiday Hits (Upgradabable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

Pacifist Paradise Secret Santa (actually mostly vanilla winter apart, play with Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack for a real Xmas touch)

Pigeon Speedmapping Session 3: 50 Christmas (custom recolorized Christmas resources, use Xmas-Doom patches separated addons or Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack if you don't care)

PUSS XXIII: Mappin' Round the Doommas Tree (upgradabable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

PUSS IV: The 12 Days of Doommas (upgradabable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

PUSS XIV: 12 MORE Days of Doommas! (upgradabable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

The Joy of Mapping #5 - WINTER WEEKEND (only the first one is Christmas themed, the rest can be with the Christmas pack)

The Devil What Stole XMas (upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

The Xmas Episode That Never Was (just play it with Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack, improves A LOT)

Whitemare and Whitemare 2 (winter is the prominent theme, Christmas are more joke references)

Xmas Deathmatch (Use Xmas-Doom patches separated addons, the Chrismas pack places enemies where they shouldn't for a Deathmatch)

XMAS / DOOM (speculated to be the oldest Christmas level, upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)


SINGLE MAPS

At Dawn's First Light (upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

Chanukah DOOM! (use a Christmas pack here it is at your discretion)

Christmas Castle (upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

Christmas Tree (upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

City in the Winter (Due some custom stuff Xmas-Doom patches addons may be more abvisable. Otherwise use Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack if you don't care to have some enemies like sentient gifts and snowmen replaced)

EMERGENCY CHRISTMAS! (upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

Frostbite Express (upgradabable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

Look its a Christmas gift (upgradabable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

Merry DoomMas (upgradabable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

Mori Christmas (better with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

Red Xmas (Due some custom stuff Xmas-Doom patches addons may be more abvisable. Otherwise use Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack if you don't care to have some enemies replaced)

Satan's Workshop: Evil Elf Edition (upgradable with the Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack)

Screw you krampus! (have some winter stuff but not any Christmas related resource actually, that can be rectified now)

Twisted Joke (Due some custom stuff Xmas-Doom patches addons may be more abvisable. Otherwise use Doom Christmas: Enhanced pack if you don't care to have some pickups replaced)

Ziffnet 1994 Christmas DOOM II Level (Also this without real Christmas resources)


OTHER TC's

A Heretic X-Mas (for Heretic)

Broadsword Jim Saves Christmas (single map for Broadsword Jim mod, spiritual successor to the "Merry Shitmas!" map for TurboCharged Arcade: The Sequel Episode)

Dead Of Winter campaign of Action Doom 2: Urban Brawl Reloaded

Jazz Jackrabbit Doom: Holiday Hell Hare

Santa Claus Conquers the Demons .Ipk3 or fully packaged with GZDOOM

ZDoom Community 2018 HeXmas Special!(for Hexen)


Want more? Even a bunch of winter wads that not necessarily Christmas? Give a look to this XMas/Winter WAD List then.

Also check the upcoming PUSS XXXIV: Naughty & Nice and Snow Wave, both in beta but playable state. Already based on Enhanced Christmas contents.

[jkas789]

That is one hell of a exhaustive list. Thanks mate, I'll be definitely checking some of this out.

[Ninety-Six]

Ninety-Six, on 10 December 2023 - 09:58 AM, said:

I'm going to wait for the inevitable bug fix patches before playing.

well shit

[Steve 64]

What the shit is that?

[ReaperAA]

My review of Sigil 2, which I posted in DWMegawad Club Thread:

Quote

So, what do I think about Sigil 2? I think it is a solid wad and there are plenty of nice setpieces and varied visuals here. It is definitely worth playing, not just because it is made by Romero himself, but as a genuinely good Doom 1 wad. Definitely one of the stronger Doom 1 wads I have played (not that I have played many anyway).

All that said though, Sigil 2 isn't without its shortcomings. Difficulty curve is all over the place (the very first map being the 2nd hardest map of the wad imho) and the level design quality also varies quite a bit, especially when compared against the original Sigil. The best maps here are arguably better than the best maps of the 1st Sigil, but the worst map, E6M8, is probably one of the weakest maps Romero has ever made since Gotcha!

Now the question is, is it better than the original Sigil? Playing Sigil 1 again just before playing Sigil 2, I think I might have enjoyed Sigil 2 a little more. But I do think the 1st is more accessible and smoother due to the more balanced difficulty curve and less blind unfriendly compared to Sigil 2

As for my favorites, I think I will go with these:

• E6M7: Descent Into Terror
• E6M9: Shattered Homecoming
• E6M6: Vengeance Unleashed

Difficulty wise, these are the 3 hardest in my opinion:

• E6M6: Vengeance Unleashed
• E6M1: Cursed Darkness
• E6M5: Wrathful Reckoning

Just to add a bit more, I look forward to playing Romero's next wad "Hellion". Making a Doom 2 wad would mean Romero would have more freedom when it will come to designing encounters, but it would also mean higher expectations and some would directly start pitting it against other Doom 2 wads. 

The indivudual map reviews are also posted in that thread

[Ninety-Six]

ReaperAA, on 29 February 2024 - 08:31 PM, said:

Difficulty curve is all over the place (the very first map being the 2nd hardest map of the wad imho)

Thy Flesh Consumed 2

ReaperAA, on 29 February 2024 - 08:31 PM, said:

Making a Doom 2 wad would mean Romero would have more freedom when it will come to designing encounters, but it would also mean higher expectations and some would directly start pitting it against other Doom 2 wads. 

I just hope they're better than his original Doom 2 levels. I'll be happy with that. I didn't realize most of my least favorite Doom 2 levels were his, and my most hated is also his, until someone in this thread (possibly you) pointed this out to me. The only Romero D2 level I liked was Circle of Death, and even then I wouldn't call it a favorite. More middle-of-the-road.

[NightFright]

Is there any update planned for Sigil 2 before Hellion? The first one got a few, but with the sequel, I'm not sure whether one is actually necessary. It seemed more polished in general.

[NNC]

NightFright, on 04 March 2024 - 01:45 PM, said:

Is there any update planned for Sigil 2 before Hellion? The first one got a few, but with the sequel, I'm not sure whether one is actually necessary. It seemed more polished in general.

Yeah, disappointing to see Romero abandoned it. The first map is a clusterfuck an i hate it with passion. There are some meaningless secrets after the end (including the supposed autoclose one that reopens), the cyber is simply stupid and the whole crusher thing is dysfunctional in lower skills... also the difficulty curve, especially early on is overwhelming. The rest of the maps are great but they have their little issues. M2 should have some proper ammo for the barons (and for the cyber for those who care to beat him). M3 has that inescapable lava pit around the building. M4's autoclose secret is annoying. M5 and M6 should have more ammo, and M7's weird elevator room should go.

The wad is still great, but these little things should have been fixed.

[Morpheus Kitami]

The intention may very well be for the player to avoid those barons in M2. Considering how rare it is for a level to not give the player more than enough ammo to take out every enemy there, it may simply never occur to us that some levels don't have that in mind. Romero being Romero, may have accidentally made a level changing up that formula.