Map29: The Living End

@john2001plus
1 second ago
11:18  I had no problem picking off the mancubus ahead of time.

I can see why this would be the favorite map.  Despite the very large size, it is an easy map to understand what you should do next.  There are no confusing mazes.  Instead you are exploring the map in a mostly linear fashion.

This was my first time on Ultraviolent, but the map doesn't seem difficult.  You just have to proceed slowly and be cautious.  

I'm not fighting the cyberdemon at the end because it is optional and I'm not suicidal.

9:30  I don't understand how you can so efficiently do a circle strafe.  That feature is not available with the keyboard, but maybe it could be done with a special controller?

Map28: The Spirit World

@john2001plus
0 seconds ago
Getting through this map on Ultra-Violence with limited ammo is quite a challenge. When I reached the area with the Spiderdemon, twenty Arachnotrons, and several other demons, I thought I had finally hit a wall and wouldn't be able to finish. But somehow, I pushed through. Once again, I had to get creative—lots of hit-and-run tactics—and the invulnerability spheres along with monster infighting helped tremendously.

The two rooms at the beginning seem designed specifically to shred you. Even with the BFG, I lost a significant amount of health.

There are probably optimal routes or strategies for these maps that I haven't taken the time to memorize. Next time, I may refer to your videos more closely.

I still prefer the first Doom, but these Doom II maps are definitely more intense.

The confusing layout of this map didn't appeal to me at first, but once you learn where everything is, it becomes much more manageable.

Map26: The Abandoned Mines

@john2001plus
2 minutes ago
Now that I have beaten it on Ultraviolent, I find the combat interesting, but the only real bright spot is the big pair of rooms with the winding walkway. 

I found the cage-and-poison areas to all look too similar, and combined with the many secret passageways and teleports, it is all a bit too confusing.

The chain gunners are not a welcome addition to the game. There are several ambushes and if you don't kill them immediately you are dead. 

If I had everything memorized, and I don't, the map would be easier. However, if I played the map that many times, it wouldn't have much appeal.

Doom II (100%) Walkthrough (Map24: The Chasm)

@john2001plus
51 seconds ago
This is not a difficult map to finish.  It is very large and is fun to explore, but also takes much effort to fight all the monsters.  The multiple ambushes are dangerous, but if you know what to expect then you can deal with them.  It is very straightforward and it is always clear where you need to go next.

It is ten times easier than the previous map, Barrels of Fun, and it is likely easier than the next map, Blood Falls.

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)

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.

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.

--

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