Lumen's Doom Depot

A sizzling 7-map limit-removing levelset by Squonker Team

From the makers of award-winning Tetanus. This short levelset pits you against demonic opposition in several arenas of metal, rock and lava. Each map is centered around mandatory damaging floor sectors. Luckily I read the text file beforehand, so I knew what I was getting in for. Damaging sectors are one of my pet hates in Doom wads across the board, however, I like how they were implemented here. Radsuits are handed out very sparsely throughout the levels, so you are encouraged to keep moving and play aggressively, as your time being protected from hurtfloors is limited, and I like that the levels were pushing me forward. Squonker team assumes that you're the kind of player who doesn't mind getting their shit kicked in. Unfortunately not everyone's skill level can improve at the same rate as community's difficulty curve that has been gradually ascending since the advent of Plutonia, so I took some precautions and steeled myself for the journey ahead. The first level was a good introduction to this setup, and eased me into the action fairly gently, and didn't deprive me of the resources needed to succeed - although ZeMystic couldn't resist hurling a MAP01 archvile into the mix towards the end. I am always interested to see myolden's entries in Squonker WADs, and I think his teammates like to encourage his more devious side. MAP05 is an interesting for its "choose your own difficulty" approach to the central fight - run around the perimeter finding weapons and creating cover in the central area before jumping in and fighting a small horde of demons, with just enough space to move and medkits to stop your legs from turning into burnt matchsticks. I took on this fight without the optional soulsphere and plasma gun and just about scraped through on my 5th attempt. The text file warned me that MAP07 was very hard even by Squonker team's standards, and after the blazing gauntlet of MAP05 I was too weary to go on, not without dialling the skill level all the way down, perhaps. I played this with Nugget Doom with a few personal sound and graphic patches and a DEHACKED mod that reduced enemy health by one third and it still wrecked me. If you think that's cheating or disrespectful or whatever, I encourage you to download it at Lumen's DEHACKED Depot and judge for yourself. Squonker Team's work is of a consistently high level of quality and difficulty - perfect for veteran players who want to keep their skills sharp, and nice visuals and awesome music for folks who just want to play around. As intimidating as this levelset is, perhaps more so than entries like Tetanus, there's certainly fun to be had, even if I don't feel like fighting the maps on their own terms, but as a Doom player of over 30 years who knows how that song and dance goes, I think I'm entitled to bend the rules a bit.

A merciless limit-removing E2 replacement for Ultimate Doom

To face the twisted and diabolical machinations of Hell alone is a sordid task. This levelset from veteran mapper Obsidian will make you feel like its namesake. These levels contain the finest craftsmanship of the twisted and jumbled aesthetic of Ultimate Doom E2 that I have ever seen. E2M3 introduces a mechanic straight out of a platformer like Mario (or perhaps Tomb Raider) and it’s unlike anything I've seen before in Doom, a stroke of absolute genius. The levels are set in a series of corrupted and run down bases where even the architecture has gone askew in the most spellbinding way, and the fights are expertly crafted to keep you engaged and trying to use every square inch of space to your advantage. The levelset balances this eye candy with cramped rooms, damaging floors, beefy opposition, health starvation and a fondness for Spectres, Cacos and Lost Souls to choke you out of what little breathing room you have left. Obsidian knows exactly what they are doing here, and they’re not here to make friends with you.

Full disclosure. I attempted my second playthrough of these levels in a relatively good mood, and a fair idea of what to expect going in. I limped my way through the first four levels and all I ended up with was a stormcloud over my head and an overwhelming desire to eat the closest piece of wooden furniture in my house. This levelset is utterly diabolical in a way that I just don’t enjoy. Being hypervigilant of turning every corner not knowing what kind of dickish trap is going to be sprung on me that I could only beat using the power of clairvoyance is not my preferred Doom playing experience. E2M4 is a special kind of nasty and the peak of Wretch’s design philosophy – you have no room, no ammo, no hope. But here’s 50 rockets to deal with Lost Souls and Shotgunner health taxes behind corners and walls, and unless you put yourself in their direct line of fire, you WILL fire rockets into the ceiling via autoaim and die. I played this continuously and played so badly that I somehow ended up with less health and ammo than if I had pistol started each map. This is by far the hardest Ultimate Doom levelset I have played, and the suffering was too much to endure. I almost feel like replaying Crumpets in order to decompress. You win this round, Obsidian.

To be clear, I have no qualms with Ribbiks. He does know how to make spell-binding architectural marvels dripping with atmosphere, and his original scores are similarly captivating.

a 3-map wintry wonder for DSDA/Nugget Doom

One thing you should know about me is that I avoid anything that could be described as “Ribbiks-inspired” like the plague. Giant monolithic labyrinths of burnt metal and neon highlights with thousands of monsters packed into post-it note sized arenas built to give you just barely enough room to only shoot or dodge does not do it for me in any capacity. But something about Sleepwalking caught my eye. As I played it I only came to love it more and more.

This “small” levelset fully equips you with an MBF21-charged arsenal. The starting revolver is an absolute monster, the Super Shotgun’s firepower is doubled, the Chaingun is practically an autoshotgun, and the Rocket Launcher is a fully-automatic anti-tank rifle. The Shotgun and Chainsaw replacements? You’ll have to find out yourself. Immediately the levelset informs me that it respects my time and wants me to have the tools to succeed.

The visuals are absolutely sublime. You fight in these gorgeous open snowy areas and intricately designed metal halls, each having unique geometry, mixing the style and approach of Ribbiks and something else, something a little kinder and more accessible. Health, ammo and armor powerups are sprinkled extremely generously across the levels, so you never feel like you’re going into a fight unprepared. I first played the wad in its RC2 incarnation, where the fights were a little bit overloaded and frustrating, but have since been polished to a mirror sheen for the idgames release. The only thing I dislike about it to this day is that the MAP02 MIDI is a bit too short and gets on my nerves.

If you’re worried that your search for doom maps to play is too akin to playing Minesweeper, as you try to skirt around an abundance of ultra-technical puzzle-map Ribbiksian neon-nihilism, or over-bloated 40-minute OTEX excursions, but you want something new and interesting to take you out of your comfort zone, please, PLEASE play Sleepwalking. It’s slaughter done right. I enjoyed wandering and exploring these massive levels to find every optional encounter and secret, and just existing in these spaces was breathtaking.

One of the best things I ever played in 2024, and cyan is my favourite color, besides lavender. Kudos, Ravendesk.

I updated my Flying Bad Guys mod - new animations have been made for the Cacodemon and Revenant, as well as improved effects for the Spectre and a ton of new sound effects!

"A somewhat small and uncomplicated map for Boom"

I love shooting bad guys in Doom and I like pretty colours. AD_79 - the master of violencecraft and disciple to skillsaw's mapping philosophy - knows how to deliver on both fronts.

This high-intensity 9-minute map is exemplary in its visuals, architecture and gameplay. I beat the level twice back-to-back on HMP and on UV and loved it more the second time. The azure, crimson and greyscale palette sets it apart from any other map I've played, even the author's similar stylistic excursions, like Violence.

First timers may have a rough start, as each room is packed with opposition who can take your head off, but with a bit of exploration, you'll find out how to rush to and grab your favourite weapon so you can return fire, and there's plenty of choices on offer. AD_79's combat is structured but free-flowing enough that you could load a previous save just to play a fight over again with a different strategy that nets you more Cool Points (and take less rocket self-damage).

Voidspawn is a perfect map to play during a short break and engage your brain after a day of drudgery. Make sure you have a few braincells to spare, because the map isn't a cakewalk and will demand your attention. Finishing it will inspire triumph, awe, and perhaps a desire for more. Is a sequel too much to hope for?

(That wasn't intended to rhyme.)

A full 4-episode replacement set for Ultimate Doom

A compilation of the author's mapping excursions in doom spanning 25 years (whoa mama!) that starts strongly, hitting the classic E1 nostalgia just right with very amped up enemy density and maziness. You’ll want to look out for cubby holes with lowering floors that take you between areas of the map, they are a bit of a novel inclusion and can be a bit hidden away for those who aren’t looking out for them, like my bumbling ass.

Ammo is very tight on UV (so don't load a DEHACKED patch that lowers the amount of shells you find. Don't ask me how I know this). The maps are substantive and enjoyable but absolutely not to be taken lightly, Chris Hansen isn’t concerned with holding your hand, so don't get cocky and respect the old master's work.

Before I could explore the other episodes, I found myself run short of patience finding my way around the levels. Undeniably good quality and the work of a seasoned veteran, but it can feel procedural and hard to digest for me. Ah well.

A tough 3-map minisode for Doom 2

These pcorf maps have some serious bite!

MAP01 introduces you to the WAD's mission statement off the bat - rough opposition, sequestered weapons and ammo, and an explosive map-wide ambush with little time to move or react make for a very rough start for unsuspecting players. Overcoming the trial-by-fire that is the first map and tipping the scales in your favor gives a rush like no other. The clear inspiration from Romero's SIGIL was just what the doctor ordered for the map’s visuals and difficulty. I learned to love this bastard of a map.

MAP02 lets up a bit by giving you more room to move and explore, providing larger but more manageable fights and a slower, more open progression. It's a bit of heavy going and seems to branch from one heavy fight to another which can get tiring, so be sure to take breaks, especially if you're fresh from MAP01's killing floor.

MAP03 lacks quite a bit of style compared to the others. The least mean level of the set, but brief and generous compared to the maps that came before, and ends the mapset on a bit of a odd, somewhat anticlimactic note. Das Riesentoilette was a puzzling thing to find.

Single-map, Limit-removing, replaces MAP06.

A pleasant, smallish base set in a cave with some surprise high-intensity fights. Some nicely hidden secrets and neat looking rocky outdoor sections. Not too much of a challenge on UV for veterans, but fun with monster packs like Malefactors or Legion of Bones.

Be careful about darting in and out of the small green building too quickly, or you'll be on the wrong side when the bars raise and you'll be softlocked.

Overall it's a nice way of spending 10 minutes, and the upbeat David Shaw MIDI helps calm the nerves. Pretty cozy.

Lunch Box is five limit-removing maps for Doom 2 which started off as a speedmapping project, and a fun mapping exercise to get back into Doom Builder which I hadn't touched in months, and remembering what I had learned from Jimmy's Joy of Mapping sessions. I had quite a lot of fun working on these levels and tried a number of different techniques and approaches.

Each map was started at a different point in time. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I decided to grab the best five that I had and smoosh them together into one experience. Incidentally, this would be the last time I would map on Windows 10. Now my mapping workflow looks a little bit different.

It also marks my first solo release to idgames, so that's pretty special.

(Intended for Nugget Doom/DSDA-Doom, no jumping or crouching. Pistol start recommended.)

Play it today!

a 9-map episode replacement for Ultimate Doom

This mapset is a jolly pleasant walk in the park. I beat it in a single sitting in just under 20 minutes. Ammo is plentiful, resistance is minimal, and levels are usually finished in 2 minutes flat. You could sleepwalk through this level and still beat it without spiking your heartrate. It adheres nicely to 90s mapping sensibilities without going overboard on monster counts or map complexity and does away with cryptic puzzles and switchhunting that was also endemic to the time period, so I can’t fault it for that. I don’t really have much to say about it. Perhaps it's the small things like the Quake and Duke 3D sound replacements and the music from Vile Flesh and Icarus that makes this subdued levelset shine. A humble and understated homage that knows exactly what it’s doing, and does a good job at it.

32 limit removing maps for DooM 2

Picked this up after watching the review on Dean of Doom. Fairly small, pretty maps that start out pretty tame. DEHACKED/mods suggested if you dare venture into MAP12 and beyond - it gets outright nasty in the 2nd act onwards.

I have yet to complete this set, as I have to be in a certain mood to muscle through the more challenging levels, but the quality is solid and consistent throughout. A standup example of neat and modest doom mapping in recent years, and the release of a new solo megaWAD is always a thing to celebrate.

Shotgun-O-Rama! has received a MAJOR overhaul! Just about everything has been rebalanced, tweaked, streamlined or improved in some way. This update is so major that the mod now has a subtitle!

Shotgun-O-Rama: Buckshot Fantasy was an experiment to see how much mileage I could get out of a single weapon in a mod, not counting extra firemodes and powerups. The previous version was more of a prototype. Now it feels like a fully fleshed out mod. There's plenty of stuff to play with... and some secret stuff too, for the intrepid and curious >=)