Good Doom/Heretic/Hexen WADs

Back to Saturn X Episode 1

The level design of this Doom 2 megawad is mostly fantastic, the vast majority of the maps is well-balanced, challenging but not impossible and they still feel very much like Doom unlike some of the modern mega-ultra-uber-harderest wads out there. One or two of the later levels are a bit on the ridiculous side though. (I play on UV without vertical free look and without mods)
Maps are complex but logical, I hardly ever needed to use the mini map.
The maps feel fresh because the authors used a different, warmer color palette and tasteful new textures.
The new music is great.


Small nitpicks:

The level design is excellent and the maps look great but they all use the same new "base" texture set and new skybox, this gets a bit repetitive towards the end.
The difficulty feels random and there is no real build-up towards stronger weapons and enemies (perhaps because this megawad was created by a million different authors).
The hub levels are pointless.

/

I hope ep2 is equally enjoyable.



Some screenshots:

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Visions of Eternity

Good episode that manages to feel "old school" without becoming too easy or bland. Ammo is limited, secrets are well hidden and the monster count is fairly high. Levels look authentic but they are often a bit too claustrophobic for my liking. The early levels are also riddled with monster closets.

The Plasma gun sounds different

Not perfect but well made and certainly worth playing if you're in the mood for more traditional Doom 1 wads.

/

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Happy Birthday, Doom! You are finally of legal drinking age.

 

Yep, 21 Cacoward awards have been given.

http://www.doomworld.com/21years/

John Romero has some scans from developing days.

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Lost Soul scan



Toy scan for chaingun

 

Suck it down!

 

John Romero doing sound effect with his mouth is always good fun.

 

You can see the patternt about Carmack and his dress prefernces .

 

                          
                                                      
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                    
                                                                     
                          years old and still the best

 

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Bonus for French Codexers:

 

John Romero shared more great stuff:

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https://www.dropbox.com/s/r4hjj10r4xdx2u3/DOOMART1993.zip?dl=0

 

On topic of Heretic/Hexen, have you guys tried Ziggurat http://store.steampowered.com/app/308420/
My impression: nothing fancy but fun. Worth a try if you liked the above.

 

Ziggurat is alright and it's a well-made game but it's nothing like Heretic/ Hexen, Ziggurat's combat is much closer to Serious Sam and Painkiller and this is a rogue-lite so there are some RPG mechanics, levels are randomly generated and actual "level design" is pretty much non-existent (also like in SS and PK ). Levels always feel very similar and gameplay is very repetitive, there is no opportunity or reason for exploration since there is always just one very obvious secret room/ level and loot drops disappear after a very short period of time, you essentially have to collect loot during combat, I'm not a fan of this.

The game is challenging, movement is fast and feels tight, enemy variety is large, weapons are ok but they could/ should feel a lot more satisfying, the game's humor and visual style didn't really click with me. I also hated the little company bio you find in secret rooms, wtf is up with that. Won't somebody please think of my immerzions!?
Sound and music are ok.

I don't regret buying Ziggurat but if you buy this expecting a game like Heretic/ Hexen you will be sorely disappointed.

There is no coop or MP. The game does have online leaderboards if you're into that sort of thing.

Devs keep releasing new content for free which is always commendable.

 

I sure wasn't. Heretic to me was about mass-murdering fantasy creatures with fantasy weapons and this one scratched that itch. Never was a fan of Heretic's level design - the most memorable levels featuring 'arena fights', actually - so this wasn't a big deal to me here, I guess.

Agreed about some weapons feeling lame, but eh. What other fantasy FPS'es are out there that don't suck?

 

Cheat engine comes to the rescue.

Another mock-up of Doom strategy game.

 

Is the imp at the top hitting spacebar?

 

That makes sense, since monsters can open doors that don't need a key to open it.

 

Oh yeah, you're right. But in this case, the imp isn't opening a door for himself, he's probably trying to open the cybie's cage. Now that would be a cool feature - demons operating stuff like alarms and traps to give you more hell.

 

The game is in early access, so free updates are kinda expected. And yeah, it's not Heretic, just a different approach to similar setting.

 

It was released in October.

http://steamcommunity.com/games/ziggurat/announcements/detail/120795682427577672