Super Cobra (Philips Videopac)

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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Best wishes,

John Coffey

http://www.entertainmentjourney.com

THE GENIUS OF DOOM

Star Trek (Arcade)

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.

Space Wars (Vetrex)

Three Levels of Game Boy Programming

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

Solar Quest (Vectrex)

Vectrex Mini in action

Might be better to play with emulation.

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.

Sinistar (Arcade)

Why some Super Nintendo snes cartridges are different

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.

@john2001plus

2 months ago

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.

Scramble (Vectrex) - Chronologically Gaming

Cyberdemon vs 100 Imps - Monster Infighting

Doom (1993) In Retrospect | The FPS That Changed The Game

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.

This Company Published Games For the COMPETITOR

Doom II From 1994

I just completed Doom II on the "I'm too young to die" difficulty level. Even this is not easy. It is a bit of a slog to get through.

I was bored with some of the early levels, but midway through the levels got much more imaginative.

If they had broken the game into 3 or 4 episodes, I think that it would have been more rewarding for the player. It would have provided a better sense of progression.

The Super Shotgun is very satisfying. It has enough power that I sometimes choose it over other more powerful weapons.

I definitely enjoyed Doom 1 more. Do I find Doom II interesting enough to play it through on the other difficulties? Probably. The complexity of some levels is discouraging, but players in 1994 got a lot of gaming experience for their money. The game is bigger and more difficult.

I played the game using "Chocolate Doom", which uses the same low resolution as the original game. I didn't mind this at all, but now that I have downloaded both ZDoom and its successor GZDoom, I think that I prefer the game with the higher image quality.

Chronologically Gaming Pooyan (Atari 2600)

I wrote a BASIC game similar to "A Pair of Zippy Road Runners" on at least one 8 bit computer.  I don't remember which one but it was probably a Timex-Sinclair computer.  It started with a wide road that would get more narrow as the game progressed.  The road being drawn on the bottom would move randomly left or right on every frame.

I think that my best 8-bit BASIC game was similar to Snake.  I filled the screen with blocks as barriers and other characters as food to be gobbled up.  The goal is to get all the goodies without running into the blocks or yourself.   I know that I wrote this in the late 1970s on a friend's OSI-C1P, but I wrote something similar on my high school's TRS-80.

The Problem With Doom 2

I Can’t Believe People Still Call Doom 2 a Masterpiece

Now that I have mostly finished the original Doom, I am playing Doom II on the easy level.  With Doom, it is a good idea to play all the difficulty levels as you learn the game.

My problem with Doom II is that the levels feel uninspired compared to the original Doom. Many of the designs are boxy, relying heavily on right-angle walls, and they lack visual appeal. I found the early levels especially dull. The game could have benefited from more variety in both textures and gameplay.

The level design seems to focus on two main goals:

1. Pushing the graphics engine to its limits with larger maps, some featuring incredibly tall structures.

2. Increasing the overall difficulty.

I remember beating the game 30 years ago, but there's a reason I haven't gone back to it since. Back then it felt novel, but the experience doesn't hold up as well today.

Ultimate Doom (100%) Walkthrough (E4M6: Against Thee Wickedly)

I wanted to talk some about Doom.

On my computer I have copies of the old Doom and Doom II, but they no longer work.  I am playing both games using "Chocolate Doom" which is a Windows port of the original Doom.  I just copy the Wad files from the original games.

When I first played Doom, it had three episodes, but about the time I bought my first PC compatible id came out with a version with a 4th episode called "Thy Flesh Consumed."  This is a very interesting episode.  I remember playing it 30 years ago along with Doom II.

"Against Thee Wickedly" might be my favorite in the 4th episode if not the whole game.  It is extremely well thought out and complex, but once you know how to play it then it is easy to understand.  Everything you have to do follows a linear order.

Due to complexity, some of the levels would surprise me if they ran well on a 486-33 Mhz.  This is especially true for Doom II.

Sea Wolf (Arcade)

The Worst Levels From Doom 1

@john2001plus
37 minutes ago 
Fortress of Mystery can be quite fun.  I started the level with only 5% health and minimal amo, but was able run around enough to avoid getting hit.  This encouraged infighting and I was able to pick off the monsters one at a time.

The teleport puzzles in Unholy Cathedral are annoying, but once I got used to the level there was much to enjoy.

Gateway to Limbo is a bit frustrating, but it is different enough from other levels to make it a unique experience.

E2M6, Halls of the Damned, gets my vote for the worst level in Doom 1 because of having to fight a horde of monsters in a large dark maze where you can't see anything.  Much of the level doesn't seem to serve any purpose except to make you fight enemies.  It can be tricky to get all the secrets because one room will lock you out, or even crush you, if you don't do it correctly.

E4M1, Hell Beneath, deserves honorable mention because it might be the most difficult level to complete in Doom 1.  You have insufficient amo to fight all the monsters.  If you don't find the secret room with the rocket launcher then it is hopeless.  Monsters will teleport right next to you and kill you.   Even the difficulty "I'm too Young to Die" is hard to survive.   Using Chocolate Doom, there is a bug where you can get permanently trapped in the Red Key area.  Despite doing everything I am supposed to, I only get 50% of the secrets.  Also, there is a switch that seems to do nothing.

However, I think that Hell Beneath is fun.  There is a walkthrough on YouTube that shows a trick to kill the 4 or 5 Barons of Hell.  If you know what you are doing, then you can make it through the level, although maybe just barely.

John Coffey - The Doom Wiki at DoomWiki.org

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/John_Coffey

Enemy Health, Damage and More

My Doom Shrunk In The Wash!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5x0bpZDkQw

Holy Hell

This guy may be the best Doom player ever.

He is using some version of Doom that doesn't have limitations.