Wednesday, November 12, 2025

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.

Super Cobra (Philips Videopac)

Monday, November 10, 2025

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.


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Sunday, November 2, 2025

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.



Friday, October 24, 2025

Three Levels of Game Boy Programming


@john2001plus
0 seconds ago
When I was a Game Boy Color programmer, it was all assembly language.

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Everyone is WRONG about DOOM II


@john2001plus
0 seconds ago
Been replaying Doom and Doom II.   The first Doom is better for exploration making it more fun.  Doom II puts a greater emphasis on difficulty, large levels, and an excessive number of ambushes.  The early maps have mostly right angle walls, making it less visually appealing, not unlike Wolfenstein 3D.  I enjoy Doom II quite a bit, but Doom feels like the better game.

Thursday, October 9, 2025

Ultimate Doom (100%) Walkthrough (E3M6: Mt. Erebus)




@john2001plus
2 minutes ago
 @BigMacDavis  I've been playing Doom II and Doom: Thy Flesh Consumed, on every level of difficulty except Nightmare.

My frustration with Doom II is that you need a roadmap or a script to play some of the really large levels optimally. You've worked out the best way to play these levels, but it goes against my instincts to follow someone else's pattern. I just want to explore each map randomly, which works pretty well in Doom.

One reason this is an issue is that Doom II is loaded with ambushes almost everywhere. I don't have the maps memorized yet, so I never know when I'm about to be ambushed.

I had the original Doom almost completely memorized back in the mid-1990s.


9:46. I was able to kill the Cacodemon and the shotgunner through the slit before opening up the section. This also encouraged the zombiemen to infight, so I dealt with them second. I like this mission for its uniqueness. The wide-open spaces are a pleasant change of pace, encouraging me to explore more freely. I followed a somewhat logical sequence from the starting point, but I wasn’t aware of all the ambushes, which made the level more challenging. Although I don’t particularly want to follow a strict script, your approach is definitely more optimal. I was briefly involved in the development of SNES Doom. Although I was primarily working on other projects, like Dirt Trax FX, Sculptured Software asked me to assist Randy Linden—the genius who made SNES Doom possible. My involvement was so short that, 30 years later, I barely remember what I contributed. However, in multiple YouTube videos, Randy Linden has credited me with level editing and game testing. Randy referred to me as the resident Doom fanatic, which was true at the time. Now, with Randy and Limited Run Games releasing a much-improved version of SNES Doom, I’ve been inspired to revisit Doom and Doom II after at least a 20-year hiatus.






Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Pop Flamer/Qix/Quantum


Quantum comes on my Arcade-1UP 10 in 1 Atari Arcade game. The problem is that the trackball doesn't feel sensitive enough for this game. I have to roll it too much.

Cross Force (Atari 2600)