Map23: Barrels O' Fun

@john2001plus
13 minutes ago (edited)

4:00  Again, the first punch doesn't work for me.  They don't die with one punch.  I had to grab the berserk pack at the beginning of the map, and I'm not sure if it loses power with time.   To avoid the pinkies I had to let them get close and then do a 100 yard dash, with a little zig zagging, to reach the tunnel.  From the entrance of the tunnel I was able to chainsaw all the demons.

I entered this level with almost no ammo and 6%  health, which is how I finished the level.  This is my usual experience with Doom II.  Lacking health and ammo, I had to get very creative at every point in the map.  Sometimes I had to run away from battles and revisit them later.  I had to do many hit and run attacks, hitting enemies repeatedly this way.  I had to kill the last Arachnotron with the chainsaw because I was out of ammo.

This is my first time playing this map on Ultraviolent.  Still, it was no picnic on the easier levels.  It is a very difficult map. 

The two secrets I didn't discover until after I had reached the exit.  The extra health and few rockets would have been a big help.   Had I known the secrets I would have had a slightly easier time.  I've been trying to explore these maps on my own.

My actual play time for this map was over an hour.   I frequently saved my progress and reloaded many times after dying.  

Super Locomotive (Arcade) - Chronologically Gaming

What TIE Fighter sounded like on a real 486…

Doom II: Map13: Downtown

@john2001plus
0 seconds ago
I've now played this map on all 4 difficulties.  This time I started with much less ammo, because running low on ammo has been a big problem for me for the last few maps.  So I had to pick up more items at the start.

The punching mechanism is never pain free for me.  I take damage.  If I have to punch several monsters in a row I die.  So I use the chainsaw instead.   I am using gzDoom, so I don't know if that is a factor.

Most maps I prefer to explore on my own.  With Downtown I need a roadmap on Ultraviolent.  I was able to get by on the easier levels, but on Ultraviolent you need an optimal method to get through it.

The map is too complicated, which is maybe why many YouTubers describe it as a bad map.  Some call it the worst map.  I don't think that the map is bad, but you need to know what you are doing.

Doom Maps

I've been playing about two to four Doom maps a day. Depending on the complexity, a map can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, though they rarely go over 25.

I've been alternating between all the Doom maps and all the Doom II maps. The Doom II maps tend to be larger, more complex, and more difficult, so they usually take longer to complete. However, they do vary quite a bit in size and complexity. Unfortunately, I find that the Doom II maps are, on average, only about half as interesting as the original Doom maps.

With the original three episodes of Doom, I started playing on the third difficulty level, and on the next pass I moved up to the fourth. However, with the fourth episode—Thy Flesh Consumed (added in 1995)—which is much more challenging, I started on the easiest difficulty level. I did the same for all the Doom II maps.

That fourth episode, Thy Flesh Consumed, has some of the most interesting maps.  It is my favorite.  The difficulty is a bit extreme, especially in the first three maps, but the episode is a really enjoyable experience.

I've just started playing Doom II on the fourth difficulty level. For the record, I wasn't able to beat the final boss on the third level.

With repetition, Doom and Doom II start to feel like different games. Some maps that initially seem too complex, difficult, or frustrating become more enjoyable and manageable once you know what to expect. Both games are full of ambushes—Doom II especially—but once you can anticipate where the monsters are coming from, you can deal with them much more efficiently.

--

Best wishes,

John Coffey

http://www.entertainmentjourney.com

THE GENIUS OF DOOM

Ultimate Doom (100%) Walkthrough (E4M1: Hell Beneath)

@john2001plus
11 minutes ago (edited)
After a 20 to 25 year hiatus, I replayed through all the Doom 1 maps.  With Thy Flesh Consumed, I tried all four difficulties, and just did Ultraviolent on this map for the second time.  This is the second time I got 100% on Ultraviolent, but I had to save my progress and restart a few times.  You can exit the level before you waste all your health and ammo, but I am going into the next map with low health and just 1 shotgun shell remaining.

This is a map that I found very difficult even on the easier difficulties.  It is maybe the hardest map in Doom 1.   Despite the difficulty, it is a blast to play.

Fortunately, I love the next two maps.

Walkthrough (E3M7: Gate to Limbo)

@john2001plus

1 month ago
Just now freely roaming around the level, I was confused by all the teleporters.  I need a map to know where I am going.  However, I missed the location of the last teleporter because it is down a path that resembles a dead end.  I also missed the second switch that opens up the secret area with the cacodemons.  

You make it look simple.  

YouTubers have put this mission in their worst Doom level videos, with some ranking this one the worst.  They don't like crossing all the pain lava and the confusing transporter puzzles.

However, I think that it is a fun level.  

@john2001plus
1 minute ago

I am alternating playing all the maps on Doom 1 and 2,

On my third try in 2 months time, this map doesn't seem as difficult.   I know what to expect, and my only confusion is remembering where the transporters take me.  This led to a  bunch of trial and error until I found the transporter to take me to exit.

I"m getting better at dealing with the ambushes becasse I know where they are coming from.  I'm not sure what that says about Doom, and especially Doom II, in that to succeed in the game you have to memorize where the monsters are.

It is not a bad map.  I think that it would be better with fewer transporters.