#373
Posted 28 October 2017 - 04:45 AM
Hello, Feedback, GO !
But before that, this post will be one of the longest so depending on the final size I'll see what I can do, only the Dimension secret level may be definitely problematic, we'll see ...
Army Headquarters :
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First off, elevator ... 200 floors !? It's nice that it goes super fast even though I wouldn't want to ride it in real life ... So a first set of rooms, they're quite nice, especially the one on the left with the trapped invisible laser grids, even though I never like seeing tanks indoors. Nothing special then until that room with a puzzle with those power cells, quite easy to find, only the crate to push and jump from it with the low ceiling is a bit convulted but nothing hard in the end. Only potential problem is the fact that the "Iron Ball Distributor" that we enable with the cells tends to glitch, the third ball doesn't come out. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, BUT fortunately there is some sort of safety that makes the door open with 2 balls if it glitches out which is neat. Corridors ... now the real puzzle with the 6 switches. It's nice that we're told the first half of the puzzle but then as for finding out the way out of the room I complain because a lot of things can happen when we press randomly but there's just no clue as to how to get the room to self destruct ! And sometimes the custom messages glitch out and I happen to cancel the self destruction while I wasn't even told it was enabled >_< And there's also that 90bar pipe I managed to destroy after the room, I don't know if it serves any special purpose ... All in all it's a cleverly thought out puzzle but it's just the lack of clues for the second half (after having overheated the coil) that irritates me. Anyway corridors, and more CPU troopers that are disabled, I still can't believe how relieved I feel now ^^. Now it feels like there are many ways to go but in the end most of the path here (around the open yellow stairs in the room with floating platforms) are just dead ends. Although there's the secret to get the slayer for the Powerglove ! SUPER USEFUL. The puzzle with the breaking platforms is okay, although the first switch right behind on the right of the beginning is VERY easy to miss (first time I did) and if you happen to reach the end with a missing switch then you're kinda screwed unless you got Steroïds (I did first time) or the Bridge Maker (I didn't first time). Then it's easy, on a side note I remember that first time I found that secret (on my second playthrough) I found it by accident because I was blocked by the openable wall while running against it (similarly I found a secret like that in Trequonia's Surface). BOSS, a bit weird that one, that mask thing ... Pretty easy as long as you don't let it come close because it kisses very hard, and it dies just as weirdly as it appeared ... Neat effect the darkening room and how the boss is animated. Blue Keycard, red door; now those beeping blocks again, patience patience -__-Zzz. Personally I take the right set of platforms because then we reach the top of a room with a very quick red cube that goes in only one direction so I believe it's intended to go there first, but then again if you take it from the other set of platforms you'll end up reaching the other side of that room too so it's kinda weird O_o, at least there's no real phony way so it's okay I guess :/ Also there's that mini puzzle with the glass panel and a hole in it we can shoot through with the gas bottles and the iron ball ... that's original, fortunately we're given free infinite pistol ammo next to that room but you really have to be the most unlucky person in the world to need it that much o_o. BOSS, a bit harder since it has a lot of projectiles and a few rockets but fortunately the blue turrets on it are weak and subject to auto aiming, it doesn't have a billion hitpoints and I found a relatively safe spot if you go really close to the edge of the platform in front of it and very slightly to the left you will rarely get hit by the lasers. Just paying attention to the green dots switching to red before rockets come out. However this technique works for a good deal of time at the beginning because the explosive green projectile tends to get out of synch with the rockets so be careful guys. Now before we backtrack there is that set of corridors with breaking platforms and increasingly tedious enemies to fight, it's nice that we're given protection against the Grey Enforcer because it's a pain. Backtracking and we get to see that HUGE reactor room (not the first time but it's clearer here), looks quite nice and a bit intimidating under certain angles with the red lights and everything >_> Now those weird orange rooms ... Not too fond of the switch puzzle underwater but not that troublesome in the end. A new main corridor unfolds and a big armory, always loved seeing those no matter what mod ^^ Now there's that full, 2 floor, corridor jumping section. It's kinda easy because I can cross the whole thing in 2 sequences but later using the Bridge Maker will be a blessing ... Now a laboratory, I really like its design. I don't know if I said it yet but every single laboratory I come across is superb and I always take the time to look at all the chemicals and see what happens if we destroy them (like that weird blue liquid that causes blindness or those yellow bouncing balls). It's good that we are told to be careful not to potentially break the cure, but either way it means that an accident with blowing up and saving can totally break the map unbeatable, at least we are requested to be cautious so I'm not going to complain (besides the enemies are weak here). Now a red key that may be cheaply hidden but since we are told about it it's okay too. And now the first really hard part : Infected and Run for your Life. It's nice that we're provided with a route leading back to the correct set of places leading to the lab (I almost managed to reach it in time on my first playthrough I remember). Really good to be informed to save beforehand, and this is where using the Bridge Maker in the jumping section is a blessing ! Now cured and moving on. Jumping section with moving platforms again, easier than the first one although timing is tighter. Going back to press switches, and now we're pretty much going back an forth from room to room to press switches and unlock on the one hand the way to the next boss and on the other hand the possibility to destroy the reactor's core. It kinda sounds tedious in theory but the enemy spawning as a guidance is here to help. CPU phase, very easy. KABOOOM, a bit too much IMO, kinda long. Backtracking to a yellow room with a green farting mouse, I'd say this creature is kind of an intruder here and its placement is quite tedious given how much health it has and it even feels like you have to be in sight, I mean a UEPB shot when going away doesn't seem to do anything O_o. Big backtracking and this is where I start having that glitch I mentioned about Enforcers being impossible to hit directly until they attack. Let's skip directly to the place with those moving walls, another originality, fairly easy. Glitchy to enter CPU, harder than the previous one and BOSS. Now this boss is hard per say. Its attacks are powerful, slightly tricky to avoid, it's hard not to get stunned when it goes hit the wall and its ability to convert damage into HP when you hit it at the wrong time makes for a really tricky boss, you must keep moving almost ALWAYS. Slayer is imperative because the Devastator becomes really useful and the fight bearable, first time I beat it without the slayer and trust me it LONG, HARD and FRUSTRATING, you're clearly not coming out of here unscaved ! CPU, more complicated but still manageable. Big backtrack to the beginning, But first a super secret for an add-on. It's a big hard to navigate because those phasing platforms are very often out of synch and so using the Bridge Maker is really a blessing here, especially since you can get another secret thanks to it. BOSS, Red Enforcer, quite easy actually, because on the one hand the ammo box is tall enough to allow stunlocking the boss safely with the Chaingun and on the other hand it shoots nothing but lasers so jumping and strafing is enough to earn the Altering Gem for Devastator and RPG, quite useful but more dangerous to use. Back to end now !
Quick mention of the music, well it's another Doom music so I find it meh, I don't like it as much as the previous one but actually for the level it kinda blends in fine, it sounds a bit generic but actually it's fine for the level, it doesn't get to your head and it's fairly discrete so in-game it's very good but out-game not really.
Conclusion : A very fine level to introduce the very serious business. I can't find any landmarking thing about the level out of memory but what I like the most are that there is a load of interesting rooms to tackle, a few original puzzles, a nice and big reactor and finally 3 good bosses even though the 3rd one can be horrible if we don't have the slayer x_x Along with a music that is fitting with its slight discretion. And 88 minutes new record WOW ! I've said so much I just can't find anything worthwhile to mention as a conclusion, just that it's a fine level and this is where we're really being in the thick of it.
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